I don’t ever want to be someone who completely counts a young player out, but after taking a close look at the current Raptors roster and trying to figure out which player’s future could be most at risk of fizzling out, it’s hard not to view Gradey Dick as a top candidate in those conversations.
Dick is definitely not a lost cause, but like I mentioned in another post-Media Day piece, head coach Darko Rajakovic pointed out that the Raptors have a deep roster. It’s only gotten deeper headed into the 2025-26 season, especially with new players like Brandon Ingram, Collin Murray-Boyles, andSandro Mamukelashvili now part of the team.
And even though it's still worth having Gradey Dick around, it really shows how quickly Toronto’s fortunes have changed. They went from having limited youth on their roster to now having an abundance of talented young players, established stars, and veterans in between.
During Rajakovic's media availability on September 29, a reporter asked about Gradey Dick's sophomore season. They acknowledged the promising potential he showed, but also noted that it was still a season that revealed he has some developing to do before reaching a fully polished NBA level.
Rajakovic answered the question by saying (YouTube link here):
Darko Rajakovic believes Gradey Dick is still learning and getting better
"Year two in NBA is always for guys. It's a tricky one. You know, you play year one, especially if you get minutes and you play and you start thinking like, 'Oh, I kind of likeDarko Rajakovic on Gradey Dick
figured this out,' and then year two comes and you see all the ups and downs. I think that last season was unbelievable for Gradey [Dick] to learn from those really high, high points of the year and also to understand what he needs to do day in and day out, when things are not going his way and how he can affect the game with a defensive stop, right rotation at defensive end or grabbing a rebound or getting a steal or just making a right decision with the right pass. "
"He started the offseason being injured and, it took some time for him to completely be cleared and get to back to work. I'm impressed how much he worked on his body. He added the strength. You know, I know him from year one when he was rookie [sic] right here and he looked like a baby on the court. He's now looking, he has completely different outlook [sic] out there on the court. Much stronger, much more explosive. He knows what he's doing. And this year is going to be unbelievable year [sic] for him to really focus on efficiency, how to be more efficient, how to find his spots on the court. "Darko Rajakovic contd., Sep 29, 2025
Based on Rajakovic's comments, it's pretty clear he hasn't given up on Dick just yet. In fact, he would praise the offseason work the 21-year-old put in to build his physique. He also hinted that Dick might be shifting his playing mentality, suggesting that an improved version of him could be what Raptors Nation sees next year. There's no doubt that Toronto still wants to see Dick thrive. It might seem like he's getting lost in the shuffle sometimes, but having your head coach still believe in your potential is always a good thing.
Now, it’s on Dick to live up to those high expectations that Rajakovic has set for him.