More Raptors Report Cards

 Honestly, I am just banging my head against the wall for ideas today so I thought it might make sense to turn this report card thing into a series. We covered the rookies yesterday and after I gave Mogbo a C+ he turned in an awesome performance against the Wizards to simply not let the Raptors tank which is still hilarious. Don't even get me started though, this tanking is an epidemic in the NBA. I was telling my girlfriend yesterday that to watch the Raptors legally you need to spend ~$60 a month. Dropping all that money to watch this product where they're actively trying to lose games is a tragedy. ANYWAY, this isn't a tanking post, today lets give report cards to some second year Raptors. 

Gradey Dick: B-

14.4/3.6/1.8 on 41/35/86

Pretty decent sophomore season for Gradey Dick I'd say! The year started out with rotating injuries to RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley, which thrusted Dick into a larger role than he had expected (couldn't resist.) Early in the year Gradey had me writing articles comparing him to all stars, and for good reason. There was a point in time where Gradey led the NBA in FG% from the mid range matching what the eye test said as well. He was still struggling more than you'd expect from deep, but he showed he has it in his bag to use his footwork and length to hit some tough jumpers. While his handle is still a bit suspect, the threat of Gradey's shot allows him an extra step with defenders closing out hard to him. Though his handle does need to improve if he ever wants to be a true on ball threat. We have seen late in games multiple turnovers with guys just slightly pressuring him as a ball handler, something to work on for sure. He's still awesome off ball and seems to always find himself in the right place ready to receive a pass. The 3 point shooting is more streaky than you would like from a guy who's number 1 skill is supposed to be shooting. He does take some difficult 3s and he takes them in a variety of ways, which is something not a lot of Raptors do, but even so you'd like to see that percentage bump up higher than a league average 35%. Where Gradey really gets dinged is his defense. In every Raptors game we see teams chomping at the bit to go at Gradey on defense, and he has no answers there. His lateral speed is slow and he frequently gets blown by. For the future there is some hope that he can improve there as he gains strength to go along with his length, but if it doesn't improve, it's hard to see a team being able to start Gradey when they're being serious. All in all, Gradey improved from last year and showed he has more in his bag on offense than just shooting. In a developmental year, these are positive steps that I think deserve at least a B-. 

Ochai Agbaji: A+

10.0/3.7/1.6 on 50/39/70

Ok, I might be guilty of grading some of these guys on a curve and grading others straight up, but it's my report card and I am the teacher. Coming into the season I wrote: 

"Ochai is a streaky corner 3 shooter, if you can even call it that. Until he proves otherwise, fans are going to wince whenever he puts up a shot. He has limited to no ability to attack off the dribble, and when he does, his floor vision is severely lacking often forcing up bad shots at the rim. He has found some success as a cutter, but in a lineup with Scottie Barnes shooting needs to be a priority. Ochai will be used this season as a defensive specialist, but until he improves on offense it is hard to see him taking on this fifth starter role long term." 

Really shows you how low I was on Agbaji coming into the year and why I feel he needs to be graded on a curve. You could make the argument that Agbaji has been the Raptors most consistent player this season. As mentioned previously, his defense has always been solid, he's not OG Anunoby out there but he's a decent option to throw at opposing teams' best guards or wings to make them uncomfortable. He is happy to take on that role every game and you simply need players like that on your team. On offense, Ochai has improved tremendously. Now an elite 3 point shooter from the corners, Ochai has begun to get more reliable from other parts of the floor as well. We've gone from wincing every time he takes a 3 to feeling like it's going to fall every time he puts it up. Ochai doesn't force things and try and do stuff off the dribble, he knows his role is to hit 3s, cut to the basket, run in transition and play defense, and he plays that role really well. When the Raptors are ready to compete again, they are going to need players like Ochai to complement stars. A lot of credit needs to be given to him for his improvements this season, he's proven to me that he not only belongs in the league, but should be a contributor on a winning team for a long time. 

Short one today but that is all for now! I will continue this saga tomorrow unless something more exciting pops up and then I'll eventually combine them all into 1 big mega report card. This exercise has shown me just how young and full of potential the Raptors are. You can easily see 1 or multiple of these players improving next season which is something to be excited about. As always, go Raptors!