The Raptors used their thirteenth pick in the 2023 NBA Draft to select Gradey Dick after he shot lights out from three in his lone college season at Kansas. That pick has not aged well. Dick’s 3-point shot never truly translated to the NBA level, he struggled defensively, and he eventually fell out of Darko Rajakovic’s rotation last season. The most positive thing about the pick is that Dick will hopefully be involved in the trade to bring Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto.
The Hoop Collective’s 2023 redraft on a recent podcast episode offered a harsh reminder of how badly the pick aged. Brian Windhorst, Tim MacMahon, and Vince Goodwill went through the first fourteen picks of the draft. Only two players remained in their original draft position: Victor Wembanyama at number one, and Ausar Thompson at number five. Amen Thompson, Cason Wallace, and Dereck Lively III climbed up the board, while Brandon Miller, Scoot Henderson, Anthony Black, and Bilal Coulibaly fell within the top fourteen.
Dick was one of five players who fell out of the top fourteen altogether. The other four were Jarace Walker, Taylor Hendricks, Jett Howard, and Jordan Hawkins. Keyonte George, Toumani Camara, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Brandin Podziemski, and Brice Sensabaugh replaced them.
MacMahon actually picked the latter, who was originally drafted 28th overall, in place of Dick for the Raptors. Sensabaugh averaged almost 15 points on 36.7% shooting from three off the bench for the 22-60 Jazz this past season. While it still remains to be seen how he will play for a more competitive team, the consensus was that he had more potential than Dick after three seasons.
At least the Raptors nailed their highest pick since Scottie Barnes
Drafting Dick 13th overall was a miscalculation on the Raptors’ part. Using a second-round pick on Jonathan Mogbo the year after was also not a great decision. At least, Ja’Kobe Walter, the nineteenth overall pick in 2024, grew into a reliable 3-and-D contributor for a playoff team last season.
Most importantly, the Raptors nailed their first top-ten pick since 2021. In 2021, they had the fourth overall pick and selected Scottie Barnes—an absolute home run. Last year, they ended up with the ninth overall pick, their best selection since Barnes, and picked Collin Murray-Boyles. Murray-Boyles missed some time during his rookie season with a thumb injury, but impressed nonetheless. He was the Raptors’ third-leading scorer in the playoffs and already looks like a future two-way force.
The Raptors picked outside the lottery this year, but there’s still a lot of excitement around their selection of Allen Graves. He fits their preference for 6’8” forwards who showed defensive tenacity on their previous teams, but he also shot well from deep in college and summer league.
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