Raptors Summer League Notebook - Games 1 & 2

Dick, Nowell, and more

Some casual notes and observations from the first two summer league games with the summer league Raps losing both games in not so competitive fashion. These are by no means concrete conclusions on these players, or any kind of comprehensive analysis, just point-in-time observations. As summer league continues we will update the below and keep monitoring the progress of some of the Raptor likelies and hopefuls on the team.

Gradey Dick

• Created little separation off the dribble, but with his size and length still gets his shot off. Showed some off the dribble scoring in Game 2. His handle is functional enough that he can be trusted to move with the ball.

• Was one of the best shooters in College while having the most contested shot profile of any shooter in the draft. While he didn’t hit many 3’s in the first few games, you saw a glimpse of why he had such a shot profile as he only needs a small window to get shots up. Bodes well for him given the footspeed concerns. Expect shots to start falling soon. (G1 2/9, G2 1/3)

• Really positive mover without the basketball on offence, and also doesn’t stay stationary on defence. Constantly see him finding his way into the lane when a shot goes up to provide an extra set of hands as a rebounder. (G1 - 4r, G2 - 8r)

• Some nifty passing reads while in motion. Shows the ability to be a connective passer with the ball which will be important since at the next level he will mostly be getting the ball while already on the move. In Game 2 he hit Gueye as the baseline cutter twice, making great reads on the move that were both on the money but were unfortunately blocked at the rim. Still managed 4 assists. Gradey should fit in well as a cog in lineups with better players.

• Struggled to get attempts off on drives when creating on-ball. Raptors summer league team did struggle finding him on cuts which would have created much easier rim looks for him. Still showed lots of activity on offence keeping the defence moving by staying in motion with and without the ball.

• Really struggled at times with screen navigation on defence, multiple times he got caught on screens and had trouble finding his feet to recover once behind the play. While he has mainly been defending shooting guards in summer league, the Raptors main team may be able to keep him matched up with forwards, however in that case he will also need to get stronger. The screen navigation may also be a function of poor communication from his teammates in some scenarios, but definitely something to monitor. Was also very jumpy in recovery, getting caught in the air a few times to simple ball fakes after having fallen behind his assignment, at the next level those are fouls turned to And-1’s for NBA players.

• Showed some great hands, while being a bit over reliant on his hands to make up for bad positioning on defence, he did also on multiple occasions get deflections off-ball by getting his hands in passing lanes or by digging in as help on drives and post ups. (3 steals so far)

• Question on defensive end will be more about capability, but he did show good attentiveness and activity as an off-ball defender, which is a good start for a young player.

Markquis Nowell

• Really comfortable in PnR, always aware of where his passing options are. Due to his size needs to know his escape passes so he can minimize turnovers while remaining aggressive. Has worked well so far in Summer League. (G1 - 5 asts, G2 - 4 asts)

• Due to his size he does consistently have to jump to pass on drives which is less likely to work in the NBA where defenses are longer, faster and smarter.

• Is looking to pass on almost every drive, smart NBA defenses will have that scouted at the next level, will need to continue probing after a drive. Otherwise will need to figure out a way to finish on drives in the halfcourt to maintain some semblance of scoring threat, such to create the passing lanes.

• Showed some shooting pop off the bounce and with some distance. Will need to be knockdown at the next level to make it. His release is a bit slow, which I imagine is to generate the power needed to get the shot to the rim, will need to speed it up for the next level.

• Definitely a good communicator, constantly talking and leading other players on the floor with him.

• Has quick hands and was able to swipe the ball away from players on drives fairly regularly.

Joe Wieskamp

• His role at an NBA level would be as a specialist 3pt shooter, so he just needs to show he can hit shots. (G1 - 1/3, G2 - 0/4)

• The big question with him to monitor is not just how well he shoots, but how many shots he gets up. He has a slow release for a shooter, and since he doesn’t create separation for himself, his usefulness is very much tied to how often he can get open and get a shot off before the defence finds him. (7 3PA’s in 30 Mins so far)

Ron Harper Jr.

• Slow footed on defence, struggling as a shooter on offence, really only making an impact on drives where he can bully through smaller players. Overall given his lack of vertical athleticism he really needs to improve his shooting and just in general his overall fitness level.

David Johnson

• Was on the team and appeared healthy.

Mouhamadou Gueye

• Whole lotta length, definitely swings for a lot of blocks whether as a help defender or in recovery when falling behind on a drive.

• Really tried to dunk everything. Doesn’t necessarily have a great vertical but with his long arms is still able to get his dunk attempts off.

R.J. Nembhard

• Really liked how he moved on defence, seems like he has good feet.

• Made smart reads on offence, plays very in control and on balance, solid basketball player.

Overall the Raptors have little on ball creation which has lead to their off ball players to be creators. This has produced some rough offence in the first two games. Definitely missing Jeff Dowtin and Christian Koloko, but should still be an interesting last few games. More to come…