2023 Draft Lookback: Toronto’s First Step Into the Rebuild
This is a continuation of Raptors Republic’s draft look-back series.
We’re back with the second-to-last installment of our draft lookback series, this time revisiting October 2022. The 2022–23 Toronto Raptors entered what would ultimately be Nick Nurse’s final season as head coach—a campaign that signalled the beginning of the end for his tenure. Toronto finished the regular season at an even 41–41, good enough for the ninth seed and a shot at the Play-In Tournament, where they would need two wins to secure a playoff berth.
In their first matchup, hosting the Chicago Bulls, Toronto built a comfortable 11-point lead at halftime. Chicago chipped away in the third quarter, but the Raptors regained control early in the fourth. Then the wheels fell off. Toronto’s offence sputtered, settling for free throws they couldn’t convert. Thanks in part to Diar DeRozan’s disruptive courtside presence, the Raptors shot a brutal 18-of-36 from the line—an inefficiency that sealed their fate. That collapse marked Toronto’s last postseason appearance to date. Soon after, the franchise parted ways with Nurse, the only coach to ever deliver an NBA championship to the city, and ushered in a new era with the hiring of Darko Rajaković.
Having traded away their 2022 first-rounder in a deal with the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto finally re-entered the draft with a pick in 2023, landing the 13th overall selection. With it, they selected Kansas sharpshooter Gradey Dick, widely regarded as one of the best perimeter threats in the class. Given the Raptors’ struggles from beyond the arc the season prior, the move fit a clear need. Still, the pick raised eyebrows when players like Keyonte George (Utah Jazz), Brandin Podziemski (Golden State Warriors), Ben Sheppard (Indiana Pacers), GG Jackson (Memphis Grizzlies), and Toumani Camara (Portland Trail Blazers)—all of whom have since shown flashes of promise—went off the board after him.
Dick was Toronto’s lone pick in that draft, and his rookie season got off to a sluggish start. But as minutes opened up, he capitalized, closing strong with averages of 8.5 points, 42.5 percent shooting, and 36.5 percent from three in 60 games (21.1 minutes per game). Despite his late surge, Toronto cratered to a 25–57 record, finishing 12th in the East. That campaign marked the official teardown of the Siakam–Anunoby core. With Fred VanVleet leaving for Houston in free agency, Masai Ujiri finally leaned fully into a rebuild, bringing in Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Bruce Brown, and a collection of draft picks to reset the roster.
Dick followed that up with a more solid sophomore season, flashing further growth without fully breaking out—a storyline we’ll explore in more detail in the next piece. Now, heading into a pivotal Year three, he faces a make-or-break stretch. Likely coming off the bench, he’ll need to rediscover the rhythm and shooting confidence he showed early last season when injuries gave him extra touches, and prove he can be a reliable piece of Toronto’s long-term rebuild.
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