We move down the Raptors' totem pole to a group of young guns, starting with third-year player Gradey Dick.
How has Gradey Dick's season shaped up to this year-end point?
Dick has suited up for all 34 of the Raptors' games played so far. He is currently averaging 6.3 points on 39.7 percent shooting from the field, 30.9 percent from three-point range, 83.7 percent from the free throw line, and 1.9 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game.
Plain and simple, the 2025-26 campaign so far has been extremely tumultuous for Gradey Dick. Despite stepping up in a recent win over the Magic with a hot shooting performance in the first half, much of the narrative surrounding Dick this year has focused on his shooting regression. While he deserves some praise for his energy and hustle in certain games, none of that can hide the glaring offensive weaknesses that continue to affect his game.
Dick is supposed to be one of Toronto's more proven shooters, yet he struggles to find a consistent rhythm despite having had more than enough time to develop that flow. He is being overtaken by other youngsters like Ja'Kobe Walter, Collin Murray-Boyles, Jamal Shead, and Sandro Mamukelashvili, who seemingly contribute much more overall team help than Dick.
It really hurts to see Dick fall to this point because the Raptors missed out on better 2023 draft talents like Keyonte George (who looks like a rising star in Utah), Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Brandin Podziemski. While it would be unfair to rely solely on 20/20 hindsight and assume those prospects could've replicate that upward trajectory as a member of the Raptors, there is very little upside to Dick’s game to be hopeful for heading into 2026.
With each passing Raptors tilt, Dick appears to be trending toward a reduced role in the rotation, especially with others stepping up and RJ Barrett back. Moving into the new year, I’ll be watching to see if Toronto can leverage any remaining value with Dick as a trade asset, given his status as one of the more expendable pieces. But he's not finishing 2025 on a high note at all.
Grade: D+
*All stats courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com, unless otherwise noted