At the start of the week, Raptors newcomer Grady Dick gave his welcome conference to members of the media where he announced he would be wearing the No. 1 jersey while sitting next to head coach Darko Rajakovic, with family and staff in attendance.
The former Kansas athlete is mostly known for being a great shooter, but he insists he’s so much more than that. When asked who his four best pitchers of all time were, he didn’t hesitate.
“Oooh… Steve [Curry], Larry Bird, Ray Allen… Who wouldn’t I say? said 19-year-old Reggie Miller.
However, these are not necessarily his idols, although he has modeled his playing style on players such as Curry. “My idols grew up Kana LeBron [James] and MJ [Michael Jordan] And I’ve seen a lot of LeBron, so being on the court with him would be kind of cool,” Dick said.
Let’s take a look at some of his college highlights to understand why the press is so obsessed with his shooting skills:
Well there you have it. His averages of 14.2 points per game while shooting is efficient on 40.3% of his field goal attempts and 44.2% from outside the arc.
The latest to want to change the narrative that he’s just a shooter is Toronto general manager Bobby Webster, who said one of the qualities that set the youngster apart was his basketball IQ. Dick believes his understanding of the game comes from learning from failure.
“I think a lot of times with the subject matter of intelligence comes with playing and watching live readings, just playing game-type situations where you’re forced to put yourself in those kind of tight spots in the game,” he explained. “I fail a lot, I think that’s one of the most important things when you’re growing up and I still do now, that’s when you learn the most.
“Being involved as a rookie who’s not afraid to fail in practice and maybe a few points in matches can really help you in the long run, those times at the end of the season when it really counts. Getting those first and then setting yourself up for success.”
Back in high school, Grady was a math teacher for younger kids, where he also enjoys basketball analytics
According to the rising star, he always had young kids who struggled with math who looked up to him as a high school player. Then he discovers that he enjoys helping them.
“It was just one of those things in high school where I had a chance,” he recalls. “I didn’t really ask for it, but I’m glad they put me in because it’s something I can impress on the guys as they looked for high school basketball players.”
When asked if he takes his knowledge of mathematics to the basketball court, he admits that he and his father share a love of mathematical analytics.
“Of course. My dad and I figured when I was younger that whatever you do or want to do, write it down on paper so you can see it come to fruition. It starts with chores, taking responsibility, and getting chores done,” said the year-old. 19 years old. “Turn it into a pictorial.”