I recently highlighted how based off of comments by coach Darko Rajakovic and in response to training camp insights, I infered that two Raptors youngsters would likely have to fight for their minutes in a friendly proving ground clash going forward: those players being swingmen Ja'Kobe Walter and Gradey Dick.
And the stakes of these two gentlemen having to validate their worth was no more on full display than the Raptors' highly-entertaining preseason matchup against the Boston Celtics on October 10. The game marked a Chris Boucher homecoming and nearly his ultimate revenge performance. However, the Raptors fought hard to come back from a nearly 30-point deficit, thanks to a game-winning shot by Jonathan Mogbo (which I covered here). But I didn’t forget to give some more credit where it’s rightfully due, and Gradey Dick proved he deserves it.
Gradey Dick is staking his claim in the Raptors' lineup
On a night where the Raptors chose to sit their starters in favor of seeing the second unit take center stage, Dick took full advantage of his opportunity. He made sure to stand out and catch the attention of the coaching staff and management, showing that he is still a young player deserving of an important role as this new-look Raptors team begins to find its rhythm. Dick got to play over 24 minutes, where he posted solid stats across the board: 22 points on 61.5% field goal shooting, 60% from three (3-for-5), 50% from the free-throw line (3-for-6), six rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
Dick's -14 plus/minus might appear negatively striking, but it’s important to remember that the Raptors were mostly trailing throughout the game. This stat doesn’t fully reflect the effort Dick put in on both ends of the floor, despite the deficit. And on the complete flip side of things, Ja'Kobe Walter struggled mightily to get his momentum going in the Celtics matchup, despite earning an ample amount of playing time (21:55 minutes of action): he'd go 0-for-8 from the field, only scoring 1 point off a made free-throw, five assists, and two rebounds.
Now it wouldn't quite be fair to Walter if I discounted his efforts in the Raptors' previous preseason game, a winning tilt for Toronto over the Sacramento Kings on October 8, where he looked very strong. But on that note, Gradey Dick put forth just as impressive of a performance on that night also, so if we had to look at the three-game sample size to judge: it largely appears as if the Raptors' junior star is edging out his younger contemporary.
Again, this is just the preseason and exhibition bouts aren't quite enough to come to a concrete conclusion as critical Raptors enthusiasts. And let's not forget that Gradey Dick had an impressive early-season surge last year, though he eventually came back down to earth and settled into a more grounded level of play. It's one thing to look hot for a certain stretch, but it's another thing to maintain that consistency over an 82-game period; we'll just have to see who wants it more between Dick and Walter.