Raptors hint at shift in philosophy by selecting Gradey Dick in NBA Draft

The last time the Toronto Raptors used their first-round pick to draft an offence-first player was all the way back in 2012 when the previous front office selected Terrence Ross eighth overall.

Masai Ujiri took over the following year and over the course of the next decade the Raptors prioritized raw, athletic, forward-sized players like Bruno Caboclo, Delon Wright, Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby and Scottie Barnes — guys known more for their defensive upside and swiss-army knife versatility than for their ability to put the ball in the basket.

In fact, the Raptors built their entire identity off the idea of “vision 6-foot-9,” with the front office explaining that their intention was to first build a team out of athletic, versatile wings and to figure out the rest of the roster later. Well, it seems like the latter part of the team building experiment has finally come, with Toronto selecting 19-year-old Kansas guard Gradey Dick with the 13th overall pick in Thursday night’s NBA Draft.

The Wichita native comes to the Raptors after one season at Kansas where he averaged 14.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals in 32.6 minutes per game on 44/40/85 shooting splits. The 6-foot-8, 205-pound guard is known for his shooting prowess, spotting up or running around screens and coming off of dribble handoffs to get just a sliver of space, where he can fire away from anywhere on the court. In fact, Dick made 54% of his off-the-dribble threes last season, the best in Division 1 basketball, and he set a Kansas freshman record for three-point field goals made with 83.

Dick is not a perfect player, with an 8-foot-5 standing reach that is smaller than his height would indicate, average athleticism and below-average strength that combines to make him a bit of a liability on the defensive end, at least when it comes to matching up one-on-one with like-sized wing players. He is not the type of “Raptors-y” player this front office has typically prioritized in the draft, let alone in the first round.

But Dick is the best shooter in the 2023 NBA Draft and, when it comes to offensive upside, there are few players in the draft who come close to the type of scorer Dick could one day be.

“I think we had Gradey in kind of his own group,” Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said about the selection. “I think probably the size, shooting, and IQ probably stood out a bit.”

“He's not just a shooter,” Webster added. “I think he knows how to play off the ball. He knows how to make backdoor cuts, he can pass well, he rebounds well. So I think he's more of a well-rounded player even though he's probably going to get pegged early as just a shooter.”

While it may be true the Raptors believe in Dick long-term as a rebounder and even a defender, that’s not why they took him. The Raptors, who shot just 33.5% from three last season, 28th in the league, realized that it was time for them to start prioritizing other skill sets besides defence, rebounding and playmaking, hinting at a shift in their team-building philosophy after prioritizing the latter for many years. They decided the roster had enough of those players for now, at least, and were ready to invest in a bonafide shooter and scorer in Dick.

“I think the biggest thing that I can really provide and my biggest goal coming into this is making an instant impact early,” Dick said over Zoom after being drafted by the Raptors. “Coming in, seeing a team, especially like Toronto, and bringing that shooting ability, the thing I take pride in the most.”

It’s helpful that the Raptors will be able to insulate Dick’s potentially shaky one-on-one defence with the big, long and versatile defenders they have spent the last eight years prioritizing. Slot in Dick beside a few of O.G. Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, Precious Achiuwa and Jakob Poeltl, and all of the sudden his defensive shortcomings are not such a concern — hence the roster building philosophy in the first place.

But the Raptors jumped at the opportunity to take Dick because they see the limitations of their roster and where the league as a whole is going. With a desperate need for shooting and someone to space the floor for their interior-based players in the half court and in transition, where he should be elite from Day 1, Dick represents the type of complimentary player they hope can bring the most out of their veteran core.

“I think we have talked about finding those big, versatile wings. Those are the hardest to find, and maybe this is like a complementary thing to fit around them,” Webster said about Dick.

“I think it's just my selfless mindset and attitude,” Dick said about what will enable him to play a smaller role in the NBA than he is used to given that he was a 2022 McDonald’s All-American and Naismith Boys High School All-America Second Team. “I think when a team plays selflessly, it just makes the whole season a lot more fun.

“I really feel coming into this organization and whatever role the coach gives me, I'm perfectly fine with. It's just basketball at the end of the day. I just love to be on the court. I'm going to do everything in my power to protect that role and really just have fun doing it.”

With the hiring of new head coach Darko Rajakovic, the Raptors plan on playing a more democratic offence with less isolation possessions and more ball movement, requiring everyone to be able to dribble, pass and shoot while making quick decisions with the ball. They hope that Dick can fit into that system with his high feel for the game and selfless style of play. But it will be a matter of time before we see if the Raptors really can fundamentally change their offence and play more selfless basketball with what is shaping up to be a very similar roster from last season, except for Dick.

That will play out when the 2024 NBA season starts in October. For now, however, it’s worth celebrating the fact that Dick is genuinely happy to be drafted by Toronto, and feels like the city and organization are a great fit for him. Coming on the heels of Scottie Barnes celebrating his name being called by the Raptors with the fourth overall pick in 2021, and after both Gary Trent Jr. and Pascal Siakam made clear their desires to play in Toronto next season, it’s a step in the right direction for a franchise that had to plead players to come not so long ago.

“I couldn't think of a better place for me to get drafted to. Just the city and the people combined, it’s just amazing,” Dick said about Toronto.

“Seeing the city for the first time, I've never been there, so just seeing the beauty of that, coming from Kansas, it's a lot different. But I enjoyed it. It was definitely one of my favourite visits at the time. And then kind of going from that, it's the most perfect place. I'm super excited.”