The ball should be in Dick’s hands or at worst run sets that allow Dick to be in positions to make a play.
With the Raptors back in town following a miserable road trip that would see the team lose all five games and nine of its past 10 to reside firmly ensconced in the NBA’s basement, it should be a time of heading back to the drawing board.
The defence has yet to be addressed, an issue that surfaced early last season, the Raptors are too turnover-prone, their two best players remain injured and on the surface there’s not much to glean any optimism.
Then again, there’s always Gradey Dick.
Until the likes of Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley are back and fully healthy, all the focus must be placed on Dick.
On those rare nights when an actual game could be won and a basket is required, the ball should be in Dick’s hands or at worst run sets that allow Dick to be in positions to make a play.
By now, the book on RJ Barrett is pretty much complete, a scorer who is unafraid to get his shot off, a driver of the basketball when he’s coming off screens who will attack the basket and score at the rim, a three-point shooter in transition, a decent defender who can always get better on that side of the floor.
Overall, there’s room for growth, but Dick’s ceiling is higher.
Davion Mitchell has been given the reins at point guard, but he has limitations.
Some bright spots emerged Toronto’s 0-5 road trip, but none of the players who showed any promise can be considered as starters.
Eventually, the likes of a Chris Boucher and even Kelly Olynyk are apt to hear their names mentioned in trade rumours.
The same could be said for Jakob Poeltl.
In the absence of Barnes and Quickley, the Raptors approach, beginning with Friday night’s home date against the Detroit Pistons in Toronto’s second game of the league’s in-season tournament known as the NBA Cup, must be Dick-centric.
Allow him to have ball in his hands more often and see if he can create off the dribble, give him the ball on every possession and see how he reacts when opposing teams are sending an extra defender, continue to monitor how he reacts in times of stress.
The season began with this rebuild theme, a year of growth and assessment, but things changed during the recently competed road trip when Dick emerged.
The first-half Dick in Milwaukee in Tuesday night’s loss opened all kinds of possibilities if his play could be sustained.
Given the obvious talent deficiency with this current roster, Tuesday night’s second half showed it could be maintained.
People often wonder whether Dick’s tires have been prematurely pumped or whether one should put the brakes on, metaphors that could easily apply to Dick because he is, after all, only in his second season.
Even this season’s sample size isn’t big enough to make any definitive conclusion.
There’s no denying his talent, no questioning his growth, no telling what kind of player Dick will eventually become or whether he’s even used as some kind of trade chip as part of a deal to acquire an elite player pining for a change in scenery, that rare talent that will allow Barnes to slide into the role as the Raptors’ No. 2 option.
That scenario of kicking the can down the road, to borrow another metaphor, bears no significance in the present.
The current state of the club isn’t good, wasn’t going to get any better unless some dramatic improvement was achieved, compounded by the injuries to Barnes and Quickley, made worse knowing the team’s core has yet to be on the floor for any game.
Losing, in the end, will better set up the franchise at the NBA draft lottery.
In the NBA, the best way for teams to increase their win total is by securing the highest odds as possible in the lottery.
This year’s draft, unlike this past June’s process, is considered to be very good with a few potential franchise-altering prospects to be had among the top-five slots.
At no point during the Raptors’ 30-year existence has the club been able to entice a star free agent.
Dick is more than capable of turning into a very good piece, but he needs to be put in positions where he either flourishes or falters.
Until the roster is healthy, and even then there’s no assurance of consistent winning, the mantra should be all-Dick all the time.
His handle needs to refined, his defence, which will only improve once he adds strength, is expanding, but it’s offence that remains the biggest and primary reason for the team to be more Dick-centric.
Realistically, there’s nothing to look forward to knowing so little has been achieved 12 games into a season.
Granted, the Raptors have been fun and entertaining, for the most part, have never given up and have maintained a unified front.
Eventually, the mounting losses will put a strain and perhaps even become problematic if conflicting agendas come into play.
Barrett will still get his shots and he’ll be a focal point of the offence.
Dick needs more shots and become even more a focal point.
On nights when someone such as Ochai Agbaji is making threes, nights when Mitchell is adding a scoring dimension to his offence, nights when Toronto’s reserves are playing well, the Raptors will be competitive.
No one is suggesting Jonathan Mogbo’s growth will be impeded, no one doubts the compete level from the likes of a Bruno Fernando will be compromised, but the goal must be to cement Dick as a bucket getter on a consistent basis and perhaps even a bucket creator.
The kid had his coming-out party at last year’s draft when he wore that flashy red suit.
His game has nearly become as flashy, but more must be extracted.
And for that to happen, even more responsibility must be placed on his shoulders.