I love sports. The entire discourse today is going to be insanely political, I just want to escape into freak athletes putting a ball in a hoop. One guy putting a ball in a hoop at a high level this season is Gradey Dick. With the Raptors missing Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes for the majority of this season so far, Gradey has emerged as the reason to turn on games. He and RJ Barrett have been doing a great job keeping the Raptors watchable despite missing two of their best players. At only 20 years old, Gradey is having a breakout season. I remember last year Gradey struggled so much in the NBA that he was sent down to the G-League to work on his game. I was at the first Raptors 905 game that Gradey played and watched him shoot 2-12 with multiple turnovers while looking completely lost on the court. To see him go from that, to averaging nearly 22ppg on 61% true shooting is nothing short of incredible. In this post I wanted to put on my insane optimist goggles and compare Gradey Dick to some other shooting guards in their sophomore seasons. Yes, we're doing this exercise after 8 games of his role being increased due to injury. I am well aware that his numbers and usage will likely come down when everyone is healthy, but I am thrilled that he's making the most of the opportunity presented to him. This exercise is meant to be delusional and optimistic, join me on this fun ride.
Devin Booker
For the first comp, lets turn to 4x all star Devin Booker. Full disclosure, I stole this comp idea from Samson Folk who made the comparison on the "Hello and Welcome" Raptors Reaction Podcast. That podcast is probably the best Raptors content out there and host William Lou has been doing it at a high for over a decade now, please go listen to it if you want more coherent basketball discussion! I think this is a fun and interesting comp, through 8 games Gradey has had to take on more of the offensive creation responsibilities similar to what Book had to do his second year in Phoenix. Coming out of the draft, Gradey was touted as a knock down 3 point shooter, so far this year we're seeing him score at all 3 levels, similar to how Devin operates. A lot of Gradey's success so far has come from relentlessly moving around off ball, finding open spaces to catch and shoot from 3 or take a pump fake and get into the mid range for a quick pullup. This is pretty similar to how Booker operates most effectively, feasting in the midrange when guys close out hard on 3s. Early on, Booker played on some terrible Suns teams. He was asked to play make a little more than Gradey is currently with RJ Barrett running a lot of the point guard actions. Book also has a more explosive first step than Gradey which really differentiates him as an on ball creator. Still, in terms of off ball action and scoring styles, Gradey and Booker really do have similar games with nearly identical numbers in their age 20 sophomore seasons.
Klay Thompson
The gold standard for off ball shooters is and probably always will be future hall of famer Klay Thompson. Klay's second season he was a bit older than Gradey is at 22, but still finding his footing in the league. Klay's scoring comes almost entirely off ball where he made himself into probably the best catch and shoot player of all time. While Gradey is shooting the 3 ball pretty well so far, Klay is straight up one of the best to ever do it. They do have similar playstyles though, Gradey will spend most of the game running around screens similar to how Klay operated in Golden State. When Gradey catches a pass he either looks to shoot right away or takes 1-2 dribbles and makes a decision, similar to Klay not holding the ball for too long. I think Gradey actually is a better playmaker who is able to find his open teammates rather than always hunting his shot like Klay did. The biggest difference here is Klay spent most of his career as an elite defender, something Gradey just isn't close to yet. Gradey does have size and length on defense, but he still is getting attacked on ball for a lot of the game. Coming out of the draft, Klay Thompson was obviously the highest end outcome for Gradey that anyone could hope for. If Gradey continues to play the way he is as an off ball threat, the comparisons will start coming from more than just my unpaid sports blog.
Khris Middleton
Take a walk with me for this one. Middleton was obviously more of a late bloomer in the NBA so comparing Gradey's second year stats to Middleton's might make a naive fan salivate. Still though, the areas of the floor that Gradey is doing his damage are very similar to prime Khris Middleton. Taking some tough mid range jumpers using his length to get over defenders, running around off ball for catch and shoot 3s and scoring by using 1-2 dribble moves are all strengths of Middleton as well. Middleton has always had a more suspect handle, similar to Gradey, relying early on his off ball movement to get his buckets. Later in Middleton's career, his footwork really improved to the point he was able to create his own shots on ball more effectively. Gradey definitely has a long way to go in this regard. Still, the shot diet that Gradey is taking right now is similar to the mid range merchant wings that do so well in the playoffs, just like Middleton.
Ok now I know that I just compared Gradey Dick to 3 probable hall of famers, but that's what this article is all about, dreaming big. You could make the argument that if Gradey keeps this up, he's already ahead of where any of those 3 were in their second season. Growth isn't linear and I expect Gradey to have a slump or two this year as defenses adjust to him, but it's hard not to be excited seeing what he's doing so far. Calling it right now, Gradey Dick will be the best non-Wembanyama player in his draft class.
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