KU’s Gradey Dick didn’t shoot well, but he had a productive summer session for Raptors
Gradey Dick’s overall play in the NBA 2K24 Summer League may not have been as flashy as the ruby red jacket and turtleneck shirt he wore on draft night June 22 in Brooklyn, New York.
The former Kansas guard’s production — to the tune of 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals in four games in Las Vegas the past two weeks — was stellar enough, however, to keep Toronto fans and media fired up about what the 19-year-old Raptors’ lottery pick will bring to the team during the 2023-24 season.
“He’s shown flashes and is being given every chance to succeed and grow and sometimes fail, which is what this whole Summer League exercise is about,” wrote veteran NBA writer Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.
“One thing that’s become apparent here (Vegas),” Smith added, “is that Dick is more than prepared to show his overall basketball skills. He’s studious and puts in all the requisite work — and then some. He is, as the franchise’s leaders have said since draft night, a more evolved player than many thought and far, far more than a jumbo-sized social media presence (he has quite a following on TikTok).”
Dick was at his best Saturday for the Raptors’ final game in the Vegas summer league. The 6-foot-8 Wichita native scored 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting in Toronto’s 108-101 victory over Golden State. The league’s No. 13 overall draft pick was 3-of-5 from three with five rebounds, two steals, no assists against four turnovers while playing 27 minutes.
It was Dick’s best game percentage-wise from three-point range in summer league. Overall he was 8-for-27 from three-point range for 29.6%. He hit 24 of 60 shots overall for 40%. He hit 88.9% of his free throws.
Dick scored 10 points in his first game as a pro, then had outings off 11, 22 and 21 points.
At KU in his one-and-done freshman season Dick averaged 14.1 points a game on 44.2% shooting (40.3% from three-point range). He averaged 5.1 rebounds as a Jayhawk.
“He’s got an all-around game,” Pat Delany, Toronto’s summer league head coach, told the Toronto Star. “I know he came in as a shooter — that’s what he does, it’s a strength of his. But I also think, too, that there’s other things he does offensively: the passing, the cutting, the moving without the ball. We all, as a group collectively, want to fast-track that process so when it gets to September and (training) camp it’ll be ahead of the curve for him.”
Former Kansas State point guard Markquis Nowell scored 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting (2-of-4 from three-point range) with 12 assists and six turnovers in 30 minutes for the Raptors in their summer finale Saturday.
Nowell — he signed a two-way contract with the Raptors after failing to get picked in the draft — tossed a perfect alley-oop pass to Dick for a resounding slam dunk in one of the highlight-reel plays of the game.
Former KU forward David McCormack, who is a free agent after playing last year in Turkey, did not play, via Raptors’ coach’s decision, for the second straight game.
Nowell averaged 12.0 points a game in four summer games (he and Dick were held out of Game 4 to rest and returned for Game 5). Nowell hit 34.0% of his shots and 33.3% of his threes and went 100% at the line. Nowell dished 6.8 assists per game to 4.3 turnovers.
McCormack in two games for Toronto averaged 3.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. His limited duty probably does not translate into his receiving an invitation to training camp though he still could be signed by Toronto or any other team.
Toronto went 1-4 and did not reach the four-team playoffs.
Jalen Wilson in Final Four in Vegas
Former KU forward Jalen Wilson’s Brooklyn Nets team has reached the Final Four of the Vegas summer league.
The Nets will play the Cleveland Cavaliers in one semifinal with second-year pro Ochai Agbaji’s Utah Jazz meeting Houston in the other semifinal on Sunday. Finals are Monday night. Agbaji, a second-year pro, has had back tightness and may not play in the semifinal contest.
Wilson, a second-round draft pick of the Nets, has averaged 16.5 points and 7.0 rebounds a game while playing four summer games. Agbaji has averaged 17.5 points and 8,0 rebounds a game in two games.
Azubuike accurate for Celtics
Former KU forward Udoka Azubuike, a free agent with the Boston Celtics, finished summer league with 18 baskets in 22 attempts for a sizzling 81.8% shooting mark.
The 6-11 big man averaged 7.4 points and 6.6 boards in five games. Azubuike, a former No. 1 draft pick of the Utah Jazz, played three years for the Jazz and is hoping to sign a deal with an NBA team prior to the start of training camp in late September.
