On paper, you might look at Gradey Dick's third-year stats and think he's quickly falling out of favor as a key part of the Raptors' outlook, given his 2025-26 season averages of just 6.9 points in 16.3 minutes off the bench. Likewise, Dick is experiencing a significant slump from beyond the arc, shooting just 31.3 percent from three-point range, with only 21 of his 67 attempts on the year successfully converted.
Given that Dick was considered one of, if not, the top three-point threat coming out of the 2023 NBA Draft class, it might seem like his defining quality has been lost. While the 22-year-old's shooting and offensive potential are still very much in play, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic opened up in his post-Trail Blazers win media appearance about Dick's impact and growth beyond the box score.
In spite of Gradey Dick's shooting woes, Darko Rajakovic said:
Raptors HC praises Gradey Dick's effort to become a "complete" two-way player
"Let's be honest when we talk about Gradey [Dick]. Gradey is the player that he needs to score. You know, he needs to see the ball going through. He is a scorer. He is a great shooter. And that's a very important part of his game, and we want him to take shots, and we want, we were building him to have that type of confidence. But at the same time, he understands, and we understand that for playing in this league, and staying in this league for a long, long period of time — you got to be a two-way player. And he's doing so many little things that it's hard to put it on the box score. He's trying to defend. He has active hands. He's getting steals. He's rebounding the ball pretty well. So we're seeing a lot of progress there as him [sic] becoming a complete two-way player. "Darko Rajakovic, Dec 2, 2025
With the blossoming Raptors' system that emerged during their impressive November campaign, I hoped that Dick could eventually develop into a reliable half-court shooter to space the floor for his dominant inside scoring teammates — Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, and Scottie Barnes.
Although his career-low three-point percentage is far from ideal, as Darko Rajakovic mentioned, there is a pressing need for pure shooters like Dick to contribute some defense as well. Dick is far from a stout defender; he is still generally at an average NBA defender level. However, when he's on the court for Toronto, he often wins his minutes convincingly. He was a significant asset off the bench in Toronto’s win over Portland on December 2, tallying 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting, three rebounds, one steal, and a +14 plus/minus.
While the plus/minus statistic isn't entirely indicative of a player's performance, it's still worth noting that Dick has maintained a positive number in that regard in 19 of 22 games (he's suited up in every Raptors game this season). Dick comes in and gives a pretty commendable effort trying to grab boards and doing his best to help out on the defensive end, albeit, to varying levels of success. In fact, I think about him taking a scary fall against the Pacers on November 26, crashing the offensive glass and getting his bell rung as a result — it showed that Dick isn't afraid to provide hustle and be tenacious on that end.
The stats might show that Dick's shot has fallen off, but we know very well (as Rajakovic clarified) that his shooting prowess is already a clear-cut facet of his game. These defensive and gritty steps, no matter how small, are proof that Dick is trying to become a more well-rounded contributor to the Raptors' core. As important as his shooting is, Toronto's identity is rooted in defense, and as Rajakovic said, Dick could become an afterthought if he doesn't develop into a serviceable two-way player.