Gradey Dick Outshines Keyonte George In Monday Night Loss
One of the most fun things about scouting for the NBA Draft is witnessing faceoffs between top prospects on a nightly basis. Monday night’s matchup between Keyonte George’s Baylor and Gradey Dick’s Kansas is a prime example. The two lottery-projected freshmen battled it out in the high-stakes Big 12 contest, but George’s Bears ended up victorious by a score of 75-69 at home. In the process, both players displayed much of what they can bring to NBA teams next season.
Gradey Dick
Dick’s calling card is undoubtedly his shooting excellence. The 6-foot-8 sniper has made just under 44% of his six attempts per game from behind the stripe this season. He nearly replicated his season averages against Baylor, shooting 2-of-5 from deep. What really sparked his 24-point outburst, though, was the way in which he leveraged his shooting ability. All night, the Jayhawks star freshman relentlessly attacked closing out defenders. As a result, he got all the way to the rim for easy conversions on multiple occasions. He even mixed in a pull-up mid-range jumper when run off the line. The same principle was also displayed through his off-ball movement as he punished overplaying defenders a couple of times by back-cutting for open finishes, including a thunderous alley-oop. In total, he shot 6-for-8 on 2-point tries and made all six of his free throws.
Defensively, Dick was mostly on point all night. He soundly positioned himself off the ball and used his size to remain active as a help defender, deterring a shot at the rim in the first half and picking off a pass in the second. When guarding the ball, he consistently contained penetration and got up meaningful contests.
Keyonte George
George’s squad took home the victory earlier this week, yet individually, he wasn’t great. Over the course of the season, Baylor’s explosive point guard has established himself as one of the best players in college basketball regardless of class averaging just under 17 points per game. However, he shot just 2-for-11 against Kansas, racking up a mere eight points. He struggled to create any separation inside the arc and experienced the lows of his volatile jump-shot diet, missing all five of his tries from three. He dished out some flashy dimes and scored a putback layup, but this didn’t make up for his lackluster defensive effort.
Still, on one particular possession in the first half, George crossed over into a gorgeous pull-up two, reminding everyone what he’s capable of when on his game.
Overall, Dick had a far better performance on Monday night, but George still showed some of what makes many regard him as the superior prospect.
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