5. Gradey Dick – Kansas
Gradey Dick is seen as one of the most exceptional shooting prospects in this year’s draft, and while that is certainly his strength, he brings much more to the table offensively than the three-point shot. He is an extremely underrated cutter and crafty finisher at the rim. He makes plenty of hustle plays as well and is guaranteed to get an offensive putback nearly every game.
While shooting isn’t all he brings to the table, it’s certainly his biggest strength. He has one of the quickest releases of all the prospects and can hit from all around the perimeter. He is phenomenal at moving without the ball and has shown an innate ability to get to his spots in a variety of ways, be it in transition or simple dribble handoffs that require him to rise and fire. At 6-foot-8, 205 pounds, and a near 40 percent mark from three this year, expect somebody to draft him in the top 10 based on those metrics alone.
Weakness-wise, Dick does tend to struggle on the defensive end and that is likely to not get immediately better at the NBA level. However, his size and shooting touch will be enough for someone to take him in the lottery and worry about his defense later.
Dick and the Jayhawks tip off against Howard at 1 pm on Thursday, March 16.