The Toronto Raptors are continuing to see Gradey Dick develop in another learning opportunity against the Los Angeles Clippers
Gradey Dick didn’t mean James Harden any harm.
His closeout looked innocent. Dick’s hands were stretched high in the air, trying to show his verticality as he contested Harden’s three-point jump shot. Dick just made one mistake, closing out a step too close to Harden whose craftiness resulted in a foul against the Toronto Raptors rookie.
It happens.
In a bigger game, it would have been a huge error. It turned an eight-point game into an 11-point lead for the Los Angeles Clippers who got the ball back with the Flagrant 1 called. But this year, Toronto isn’t focused on wins and losses. A 127-107 loss to the Clippers doesn’t really hurt much. For the Raptors, it’s about the learning experiences.
“That’s a moment when a rookie sees a Hall of Famer and … until you go through it, it’s hard to comprehend,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said. “Definitely, he’s going to see that clip at least 50 times until he sees Harden next time. So I believe it’s not gonna happen again.”
Rajaković didn’t seem fazed by the mistake. It was a coaching opportunity for his rookie first-round pick who he called over to discuss the closeout with while the referees reviewed the decision.
