Many of the groups that enter the 2024-2025 NBA Season have hopes of a possible playoff push. There are a number of different groups that know they’ve an extended approach to go in an effort to grow to be playoff contenders.
The Toronto Raptors (2-10) know they’ve an extended hike to doubtlessly get to the highest of the NBA mountain. Whereas they lack the present stars to make them an elite workforce, the Raptors have some stable younger expertise they’ll develop and develop.
Considered one of their star younger gamers is already making a reputation for himself by performing as much as similar measures of fellow NBA Draft class consultant and final yr’s NBA Rookie of the 12 months winner Victor Wembanyama.
The Raptors haven’t been the identical workforce since their 2019 NBA Championship. They knew they had been in a direct rebuild after they misplaced level guard Fred VanVleet in free company to the Houston Rockets earlier than the beginning of final season.
The workforce was capable of finding their No. 1 possibility by buying and selling for New York Knicks guard/ahead R.J. Barrett from the New York Knicks. Barrett wouldn’t be sufficient for the Raptors to get well as a franchise.
Toronto drafted Kansas guard Gradey Dick with the thirteenth general choose within the 2023 NBA Draft to be a possible star. He performed nicely in bursts, however in the end averaged 8.5 factors per recreation in his first season within the league.
This season, nonetheless, Dick is taking part in at a complete new stage for a determined Raptors. By means of 12 begins this season, Dick is averaging 20.1 factors per recreation capturing a subject aim proportion of 44.8%, a three-point capturing proportion of 37.3% and a free-throw capturing proportion of 88.5%. He’s additionally averaging 2.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per recreation.
He’s at present outperforming his fellow 2023 NBA Draft class of their second of the season, together with San Antonio Spurs middle Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama is averaging 19.7 factors per recreation, however there’s a clear separation with an injured Chet Holmgren averaging 16.4 factors per recreation for Oklahoma Metropolis.
Toronto hasn’t been to the postseason in three of the final 4 seasons. The 2021-2022 NBA Season was additionally the final time the Raptors collected a successful report. If the season ended at the moment, Toronto would end final within the Japanese Convention for the third consecutive season.
The Raptors are seeing an enormous season push from their younger star, who possesses a whole lot of totally different tangibles to be extremely environment friendly on offense.
This season is all about improvement for Dick to be an explosive star, Barnett to be a pacesetter and see the potential of two rookies in guard Ja’Kobe Walter and middle Jonathan Mogbo.
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