Raptors Provide Clarity on Gradey Dick's Status and Plan Moving Forward

Gradey Dick has spent the last two weeks trying to reshape his body.

When the Toronto Raptors drafted the just-turned 20-year-old this past summer they knew it was going to be a process. The 6-foot-6, 205-pound wing is thin and lanky with a body that wasn’t ready for NBA minutes.

Toronto tried to have Dick learn on the fly, throwing him into the rotation to start the season but things didn’t exactly go as planned. Dick struggled through his first 14 games, shooting just 25% from three-point range with more turnovers than threes made.

Since then, the Raptors have tried a different approach with Dick who has spent the last two weeks in a “special program” trying to improve his strength and conditioning, Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said Monday.

“We decided that this is a good moment for him to really focus on his body and we made a really good plan for him,” Rajaković said.

Dick has been in the gym working with the Raptors, using the team’s OVO Athletic Facility, rather than the facilities and training staff Toronto’s G League team The Raptors 905 use.

Monday night, Toronto moved Dick into the next phase of this plan, sending him down to the G League where he’ll likely spend the next two weeks while the Raptors head out on a West Coast road trip.

“It’s going to be (an) opportunity for him with everything that he’s worked on last two weeks, kind of like to put it in a game set up and play,” Rajaković said. “I think that that's very healthy for him.”

The Raptors have by no means given up on Dick despite his lackluster start to the season. The organization still sees him as a key part of the team moving forward and someone who can one day be paired with Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley as a valuable member of the future core.

“Definitely, he's going to be back with us and he's going to be in the rotation and playing,” Rajaković said. “He's the future of this organization. But he needs to check a couple of points before we really unleash him on the court.”