Gradey Dick 6’6.25” 204 lbs 6’8.75” wingspan 19.6 years old Freshman, Kansas 14.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.3 bpg, 44.2% fg%, 40.3% 3%, 85.4% ft%

Overview: Gradey Dick is a sharpshooting wing who will look to thrive in the modern NBA with the emphasis on space and pace. Dick is not a tremendous athlete but an okay one. Dick appears to be more of a high floor, low ceiling prospect who will need other players to create his shots for him. I think a ceiling outcome is something similar to Kevin Huerter but I am not sure Gradey has the wiggle nor ballhandling needed to do what Huerter has done in years past. That said, Huerter got played off of the court in the playoffs due to defensive woes. Dick can have gravity on the offensive end and look to compete on D but he doesn’t strike fear in defense’s eyes as he typically only was a threat as a catch and shoot not a movement shooter or someone with much comfort putting the ball on the ground. He excelled in pick and roll operation and shooting off of the bounce on limited sample size so there is room to argue he possesses more upside than I believe but I see an average athletically shooting specialist with good teammates in college that got him good looks and protected him defensively. Dick was the worst defender on his college team among starters. In sum, he is someone I would consider around this range due to a real skill being present in his shooting but the lottery grades seem ambitious for someone without any star upside and defensive deficiencies.

Strength: A real strength in his shooting. Good size for 2 guard. 40% on catch and shoot 3’s. Heady/instinctual cutter. 56% from 3 in transition Good ball mover. Solid rebounding instincts. Good pump fake one dribble mid range pullup. Line drive takes to rim off pump fakes. Serious shooting gravity. High release. Weaknesses: Will be a weak NBA defender and be targetted. Not laterally quick or strong. Not athletic functionally in half court. Does not create space with the ball. Gets rerouted when driving. Ball Handling.

Tier: Long-Term Starter

Player Comparisons: Reggie Bullock

Gradey Dick is a very versatile wing who is a great shooter with high upside. He’s a good athlete who is great at moving without the ball and can always find a good place for a catch and shoot. He’s a great floor spacing forward with good shot creation ability.

• Height w/o shoes: 6'6.25"

• Wingspan: 6'8.75"

• Max vertical: 34.0"

• 3 quarter sprint: 3.50 seconds (slowest in draft class)

• Kansas went 28-8 in 2022-23, and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament (#1 seed).

Bio: Kansas, November 20, 2003 (19), 6’6.25”, 204 lb, Wing

Stats:

Strengths:

• Underrated Athleticism

• Lights out shooting off the catch

• Solid shot creator

• Quick

• Hustle

Weaknesses:

• On ball defense

• Could have a tighter handle

• Getting to the rim consistently

Rundown:

Gradey Dick is a ludicrously good shooter off the catch. Most signs point to him being a shooting specialist in the NBA, but he does have some untapped shot creation potential. He is a great vertical athlete, and many people don’t realize how tall he is. His defense can be bad at times, so that will be the X-factor in determining his success.

Shades of: Kevin Huerter

19.6 year-old 6'7 SF/SG/PF. Sharpshooter+. The best 3-point shooter in the class, whether it be standing or moving, catch-and-shoot or pull-up, it doesn't matter. Dick hits his shots. He's shown to be more than just a shooter though. With size, length, and good playmaking, Dick projects to be the ideal offensive role player for any NBA team. If you guard him too tight on the perimeter, he will cut backdoor and has good touch at the rim. It is unlikely Dick will ever be better than average as a defender, if that. He doesn't have the frame and strength to hold his own against bigger opponents or the burst and lateral quickness to be a great perimeter defender.

Strengths:

++++3P Shooting

+Passing

+Shot Creation

+Interior Finishing

+Decision Making

Weaknesses:

-Strength

-Burst

-Interior Defense

-Handle

Shades Of:

Klay Thompson, Kevin Huerter, Reggie Bullock

Ceiling: Starter, Offensive Threat

Floor: Bench, Sharpshooter

Team Fit:

Pretty much every team would love a Gradey Dick and be able to plug him into their system seamlessly. Getting a proven shooter with positional versatility will start to get really tempting for teams around pick 7. Gradey will be best suited with a good team defense and primary ball-handlers to create shots for him.

Best fits within range: New Orleans, Utah, Toronto

The draft are about narratives and simplifications. And you have to watch with your own eyes to see what's your analysis about certain general perceptions. Obviously, it's not a fail-proof system, but a way of not putting yourself in a position to fight tooth and nail and argument and take that's not yours.

There's two basketball skills that are simply an anomaly in this year's class: Gradey Dick's off-ball value and Cason Wallace's defense. With that, and in a class with questionable all-star ceillings after the top 2, that's both of those guys are higher than most boards.

Gradey's shooting mechanics, with his abillity to manipulate off-ball defenders with body movements (like shoulder fakes) and his IQ to cut to the basket makes him deadly. On defense, Dick is a fundamentally sound player with his feet, hands and in rotations, not gambling, overfouling or getting caught flat footed (most of the time). He currently lacks strength to fight players driving, but how negative he's on that end is overblown, most importantly looking in 2/3 years of weight room.

OFFENSE elite level shooter moves well off screen high release great footwork 46% from 3 right now , has ability to get hot can read when he is overplayed and can cut well Can cut quite well using his gravitas as a shooter(lob threat?!) Good off ball player Can pump fake and move into a pull up midrange shooter really well Not as good as going all the way to the rim towards the basket Doesn’t always utilize well threat of his shot Has been going downhill with some impressive and crafty finishes Good touch and body control in the air ,Not a bad athlete with good size ALWAYS MOVING OFF THE BALL Has lots of shooting gravity and uses it to cut(cuts very well) AND relocate Uses it also very well as a passer to create good looks 4 others Good decision maker and connection passer Handle good not great Very good transition player (not just 3s) Good at attacking closeouts and driving Also good cutter

DEFENSE Big question to monitor in the year Can he play defense at NBA level? Solid BUT definetely Need to improve screen navigation Has room for improvement especially in Team defense Switching onto faster guys not good for now Footwork need some work Average wingspan Is buying in he is putting in effort