It’s the start of a new era in Toronto.
We’ve seen the electrifying dunks of Vince Carter‘s time. The regular season successes of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. Finally bringing home a championship during Kawhi Leonard‘s time in Toronto.
But it’s time to usher in the new guard in The North.
In an opening stretch of the season that has featured injury after injury for the Raptors, Gradey Dick has stepped up.
A Glimpse of What Was to Come
Dick averaged a subpar 8.5 points in a disappointing rookie season. There was little hope that Dick would amount to anything more than a bench role player in the NBA in the future.
Then Summer League came around.
In a mid-July Summer League matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dick showed the first flash of what was to come. An 18-point, 10-rebound, six-assist game was a glimpse of what would come in the North.
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However, many fans brushed it aside despite what looked like a breakout performance.
After all, it was only Summer League, right?
What Sophomore Slump?
When most second-year NBA players slump the year after they enter the league, Gradey Dick skyrocketed.
People may have brushed aside Dick’s Summer League and preseason performances, but they can’t deny it now. Dick has been unreal in this opening stretch. At least once a week, he sets a new career high in scoring.
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It started on opening night. Against Cleveland, Dick started the year with a strong 16-point performance. But beyond that, Dick looked confident. It’s something that a box score won’t reflect.
Dick looked comfortable taking on defenders one-on-one. Unlike his rookie season, Dick was not afraid to put the ball on the floor and attack the defense if they started cheating on the perimeter.
It’s not just one night, either. Dick has looked remarkably consistent. On the November first game against the Lakers, Dick dropped a new career high of 31 points (right after setting a career-high of 25 on October 30th).
The consistency and his elite production have pleasantly surprised the Toronto faithful.
The Numbers
Dick has eclipsed his career high three separate times this season, and he looks like he’s just getting started. In six games this season, Dick has double-digit totals in five of them.
So far, in the 2024-2025 season, Dick is averaging 20.8 points per game on 48.9% shooting from the field. This is a 12.3-point-per-game increase from his total last year.
If Dick continues to perform at the level he has been, Raptor fans may have found an elite Robin to the Batman that is Scottie Barnes. When Barnes returns from injury, it certainly will be interesting to see how the two offensive superstars mesh.
Looking Ahead
Gradey Dick has certainly looked like an elite-level talent to begin this year. As long as Dick continues to perform, an All-Star appearance and a Most Improved campaign is not too far out of the question.
However, Dick has been performing this way while only one of Toronto’s best playmakers is on the floor. RJ Barrett missed opening night while nursing a shoulder injury. During that same game, Immanuel Quickley sustained an injury that has held him out ever since.
Upon Barrett’s return, Barnes was injured, catching a Nikola Jokic forearm to the eye. Hopefully, all these star offensive weapons will return soon. But we will be watching how Dick manages to gel in a system that may not revolve around him soon.
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