Gradey Dick is willing to do whatever the Toronto Raptors need of him. Dick saw big minutes for a rookie last season as the Raptors were decimated by injuries through March and April. Entering his sophomore NBA campaign, Dick doesn’t intend to lobby head coach Darko Rajakovic or anyone else for a starting role — he wants to earn his spot.
“I’m going to try my best to be in the position that the team needs,” said Dick before Raptors training camp began. “It’s not me pushing my agenda. It’s really the role that I need to fill and if that calls for the starting position, then I’m going to put my all into that.
“Really, the main goal this whole season is just to win. Winning solves a lot. We play good or bad, if you win, a lot of stuff gets forgotten.
” Toronto selected Dick 13th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft after one year with the Kansas Jayhawks. The swingman slotted in behind Gary Trent Jr. in the Raptors depth chart at shooting guard to start the 2023-24 season.
Rajakovic used Dick sparingly through October, November, and December. He also spent stretches with Raptors 905, Toronto’s G-League team, as he got used to the rigours of the NBA schedule. The Raptors didn’t re-sign Trent when his contract expired in the off-season, opening the door to Dick being a starter.
Dick said there’s a lot less stress now that he’s gone through one season as a professional basketball player. “It’s a different feeling having a season under your belt, not having.