With Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley, the Raptors’ two lead playmakers, out of the lineup, Dick has stepped up behind RJ Barrett to be one of many crew’s high creators. Even higher: He has finished it in a means that feels at peace with Dick’s regular sport, and will scale down to slot in with a more healthy model of the Raptors. “Yeah, he’s balancing it nice. I believe he understands that his pictures, the quantity of pictures he takes, the kind of pictures he takes might change when IQ and Scottie get again and we’re entire,” mentioned Temple, who has labored carefully with Dick since final yr. “However I believe him taking part in on this position proper now will do nothing however improve our crew. I believe the arrogance that he has as a participant can be what it’s, no matter if he’s taking seven pictures a sport or 18 pictures a sport. And I believe as a result of he can play so effectively off the ball, he’ll be effective. The transition going from when he’s … the primary or two choice to the quantity three or 4 possibility gained’t be unhealthy for him. “His ability to knock down shots and his ability to finish at the rim right now is what is going to allow him to really make us even more of an offensive juggernaut when those guys get back.” -via New York Times / November 6, 2024