Darko Rajakovic of the Raptors outlines a customized fitness regimen for Gradey Dickens.
Dick has appeared in 19 games for the Raptors this season but has been out of the lineup for the past month. He only appeared in five games in December, totaling roughly 15 minutes, and spent half of the month with the Raptors 905.
The 905 received the 13th overall pick on Monday and is anticipated to join them on their next two-game road trip against the College Park Skyhawks on Thursday and Saturday.Rajakovic feels Dick will benefit greatly from the proposal.
Gradey has been on a particular weight-lifting and basketball-court training regimen for the last two weeks. He’s been working hard and spending a lot of time on the court. We determined that now is a good time for him to concentrate on his body. We devised a pretty nice strategy for him when he goes on his next assignment with the 905, and there will be an opportunity for him to put in a game and play with everything he worked on in the last two weeks.
In seven games with the 905, Dick is averaging 14.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 32% shooting from the field. He has three 20-point games this season, including a season-high 23 points and six rebounds in a Dec. 6 defeat to the Westchester Knicks.
Before placing Dick into the Raptors’ rotation, the team wants to give him consistent playing time and get him into a nice rhythm in the G League. They are encouraged by how he is behaving and believe he has a great future ahead of him.
“He is going to be back with us and is going to be in the rotation playing,” he stated. “He is the future of this organization, but he needs to check a couple of points before we really unleash him on the court.”