Gradey Dick Sets High Career and Other Takeaways from Raptors’ Loss to Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks 99, Toronto Raptors 85

Gradey Dick plays like a man.

The 20-year-old sophomore is no longer the 16-year-old the Raptors joked about last season. That doesn’t mean he looks much different physically, but the way he plays is the same day and night compared to last season.

First, he stood up against Giannis Antetokounmpo, who attacked the charging Dick with all his might in the first quarter. This was the kind of play that showed Dick’s defensive sophistication and the durability he has played with this season.

On the other hand, Dick put in an outstanding performance and scored a career-high 32 points in 38 minutes. He took advantage of the Bucks trying to push him outside the three-point line and used that extra attention to draw fouls near the rim. In the first half alone, Dick went to the line for 14 tries, winning 12 from the charity stripe. He led Toronto’s slow offense to proficiency by scoring 22 of Toronto’s 43 points at halftime.

Dick’s development this season has been the biggest reason for optimism this year. He passed over Andre Jackson Jr. before firing a fadeaway shot to the right baseline and then stepped in for a 25-foot three-pointer without hesitation. When the Raptors are healthy this season — if the Raptors are healthy this season — Dick’s emergence as a zone player who can distort opposing defenses will greatly help Toronto’s offense.

RJ Barrett is going through it again.

The 24-year-old has always been a bit of a streaky player and right now he seems to be trying to shoot a little more than he needs to. Part of that is the growth in his role in the absence of Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes and the fact that Barrett is Toronto’s best offensive creator right now. Tuesday, however, wasn’t pretty for Barrett, whose shot attempts were repeatedly snuffed out by Brook Lopez near the rim.

Considering how depleted Toronto’s roster is these days, the Raptors can’t afford for Barrett to be as ineffective as he has been over the last few games. He finished Tuesday’s game with seven points on 3-for-14 shooting.

Immanuel Quickley will be out for at least a week with a partial tear in his left UCL. and it looks like it could be a little longer than that. This is the latest in a string of injuries that have left the Raptors exhausted and, at times, uncompetitive. Toronto has done a pretty good job in these games, but it’s hard to see the Raptors righting this ship until reinforcements return in the next few weeks.

Tuesday marked the start of this year’s NBA Cup action, and it’s probably safe to say the Raptors won’t be in the mix this year. The lopsided loss left the Raptors at 0-1 in the group stage with a -14 point lead.

One more thing: Brightly colored courts make these matches difficult to watch. I wasn’t a fan of the Bucks’ bright blue court.

The Raptors will take a few days off to regroup from their five-game road trip before playing against the Detroit Pistons on Friday at 7 p.m.