Draft prospect No. 3: Gradey Dick, Kansas Jayhawks
The Cleveland Cavaliers have elite on-ball guards who can create their own shot and make plays for others. They have some lockdown defenders, both on the wing (Isaac Okoro) and in the paint (Evan Mobley). What they don’t have and need to add are knockdown shooters, and Gradey Dick is among the very best in the draft.
At 6’7″ the Kansas native has excellent size for a shooting specialist, and he showed at the University of Kansas this season that he can shoot in traffic as well as when he is open. His trigger is as fast as they come, and his size allows him to get off the shot with no fear of an opponent blocking it. He displays a natural feel for relocating to open pockets on the perimeter to be set to receive a pass, and he has enough ball-handling juice to attack closeouts and get into the paint.
The question for Dick is his defensive ability. He has a slender frame and his feet aren’t the quickest, so he may be targeted. He showed growth as his freshman season progressed, but NBA competition will be another animal altogether. If he remains a target on that end his path looks like Duncan Robinson; if he can hold his own he becomes more of a Cam Johnson or Michael Porter Jr. without quite that much size.
The Cavs need shooting in the worst way, and can insert Gradey Dick into their rotation from the jump. He likely doesn’t have All-Star upside, but he could certainly become a player the Cavaliers trust in big moments spacing the floor. Few players in the draft have his sort of shooting ability.