Kansas basketball end-of-season player grades: Gradey Dick

Gradey Dick had one of the best seasons a Kansas freshman has had in recent history. What letter grade will he get for his performance?

The five-star wing had lofty expectations when he committed to the Kansas Jayhawks, but not many individuals anticipated him to break out as he did. He was one of the best newcomers in college basketball, racking up All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Big 12 Freshman Team honors.

Dick has become of the country’s most popular freshmen, which can be attributed to his animated personality. He is not shy at all when in front of the camera.

We all know he is an enormously likable fellow, but what did he give the Jayhawks this year? More than the team could have asked for. He showed an aptness for moving off the ball, coming off screens to find himself open jump. And while being one of the best shooters in the Big 12, Dick also impressed with his rebounding and length. He had some Christian Braun-esque hustle rebounds every game.

The Wichita, Kansas native broke KU’s single-season freshman three-point record. Jeff Boschee previously held the record, but he had 79 threes made in comparison to Dick’s 83. His ability to pull it from deep at any time made Bill Self’s job much more manageable.

His end-of-season stats were exceptional. These were his statistics per game in the 2022-23 season:

• 14.1 points
• 5.1 rebounds
• 1.7 assists
• 1.4 steals
• 1.3 turnovers
• 44.2% FG
• 40.3% 3PT
• 2.3 3PM
• 85.4% FT
• 2.5 FTA

Although it might be greedy to say this, Dick left something to be desired at the end of the season. He disappeared at crucial points in the game, such as against Arkansas or Texas. His three-point percentage dipped from 49.2 percent in non-conference play to 36.0 percent for the remainder of the season — still a good percentage, just not one of a player that was supposed to be the opposing team’s top priority to guard.

He is a phenomenal NBA Draft prospect, with most mocks predicting him to be selected as a top-10 pick. Even so, his ending with the Jayhawks left some fans questioning how league-ready he is. Could another year at Kansas do him justice?

It likely would not. As much as some fans hate to admit it, a player who will be guaranteed millions of dollars is not prioritizing a college basketball team over their financial state. Not even an NIL deal can compete with NBA lottery pick money. However, Matt Tait of KUsports.com seems to think there is a 25-30% chance Gradey returns for a sophomore year.

If he does leave Kansas, we will see Gradey in the NBA for a considerable amount of time. He showed so much of what he is capable of at 19 years old, and there is no telling how much better he will become. He would have gotten an A+ based on what was expected of him before the season began, but after seeing what he was capable of, it seemed like he did not give the team his full effort in the latter stages of the year.

Player Grade(y): A-