Raptors on the Rise: Unleashing the 2024-25 X-Factor in Toronto

After experiencing a turbulent half-season, the Raptors’ front office finally made a surprising move to reorganize with young master Scottie Barnes at the core of them also acquiring young cores such as Immanual Quickley and RJ Barrett in the trade to work with referee Jakob Poeltl. who was already on the team, forming a relatively competitive lineup that has only one position, which is what I think is the X factor of the Raptors this season: Gradey Dick.

As we all know, the current core of the Raptors, Barnes, is a very versatile striker with excellent physical fitness. When the space can be opened, it is very easy for Barnes to bully defenders one-on-one with his strong body, but when will be the opponent When using a wall tactic similar to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s defense to block his cuts, it is very important to have teammates on the outside responsible for opening up space for him.

Looking at Dick’s performance with the Raptors last season, it can be divided into three periods. The first period was the adjustment stage when he joined the league for the first time, and November was the most representative. range. Fortunately, the Raptors coaching staff also discovered that Dick was very lacking in conflict, so they simply put together a customized weightlifting training plan for him and were in no rush to let him play all the time to lose his confidence.

Entering February, Dick finally raised his physical strength and accuracy to a competitive NBA level He posted a very high level shooting performance of 55/49/85 in one month In addition to his signature outside shooting out, Dick is also good at breaking air. At the end of the season, as Barnes, Quickley, RJB and others hung up their phones and missed games one after another, Dick’s average playing time increased to 30 minutes per game At the same time, his workload on the court also increased , which led to an overall decrease in his efficiency, and eventually he was unable to play on the court He averaged 8.5 points and finished his rookie season with a three-point shooting percentage of 36.5%.

Judging from the whole season, Dick’s skill package is indeed very suitable for the playing style of the current league, and he has also shown quite good power and fighting potential. Based on the templates of the major media in the draft, they all gave the name of veteran Mike Miller, which means that while Dick may not necessarily have the ability to hit the stars, he still quite promising as a multi-functional shooting wing.

Dick’s biggest selling point is of course his three point shooting. At 6ft 7 and a very high shooting point, combined with the fact that he hardly needs to sink the ball, he is extremely difficult to disturb as long as he is running out of neutral on C&S Throughout the season, his C&S three pointers are very efficient at 39.3%. Modern basketball’s basic three points also have very high levels of 51.1% and 42.6% respectively. These points prove that Dick’s shooting is genuine, and it is also quite suitable as an ambush on the weak side for Barnes, RJB and others in singles. What’s a bit of a pity at the moment is that Dick’s efficiency and shooting percentage will plummet in non-C&S situations. This is also a problem if he wants to reverse training and become the second or third leader of the team.

Another impressive thing is that Dick has a very good view of the general situation on the court Although he is limited by his style of play and his physical fitness, he is unable to tear down the defense and lead the defense sees the right opportunity, Always makes the right judgement. With the threat of shooting outside, Dick often causes defensive communication errors when going around without the ball At this time, he will use the floor pass correctly to find the teammate rolling And his ability to judge can also be used on air breaks Faced with blocking the opponent’s more aggressive passes, Dicks can counter and take advantage of opportunities in a timely manner Although his physical fitness is average, his coordination and touch are very good. He is exempt from liability His inside finishing ability is a very good 60%, and he can adjust his shot by pulling the stick in the air, making his threat on the court not only beyond the three point line.

Under Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic’s dynamic offensive system that emphasizes off-ball coverage and running, it is very important to have a player with a C&S shooting threat, and in addition to Quickley, the only person on the team who can play this situation is Dick. . With Darko’s system, with Poeltl and Kelly Olynyk taking turns supporting each other in the high post, as well as the league’s leading forward Barnes and Quickley, who regained his floor control style in the second half of the season, taking turns in providing support, I think that Dick, who has adapted to the intensity of the league, can use his skills Shooting has become the X factor that is most likely to affect the direction of the team next season.

A key variable! X-Factor new NBA season 2024-25