Last night, the Toronto Raptors barely squeaked out a win against the Indiana Pacers and did so without one of their key bench players for most of the game. In the closing seconds of the first quarter Gradey Dick flew in for an offensive rebound before turning in mid-air, culminating in him landing on his back and hitting his head on the floor.
Dick immediately left the game and headed to the locker room for concussion protocol. He would not return to the game. When asked about Dick’s status after the game, head coach Darko Rajakovic had this to say:
Gradey is feeling fine. We just kept him out of precaution … we did not want to risk anything, but he’s feeling fine. I will update you guys more when we find out more.
Dick’s return to play will depend on whether or not he is diagnosed with a concussion. If it is determined he does have a concussion, he cannot return to play for a minimum of 48 hours and must complete a required return-to-participation process. If he doesn’t have a concussion, the team will continue to monitor his status and will undergo another concussion evaluation approximately 24 hours after the inital evaluation.
On the season, Dick is averaging 6.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists on 40/32/85 shooting splits but has been a key reserve for the Raptors, posting the best net rating amongst regular rotation players. With the injury to RJ Barrett keeping him out for at least one week, any missed time from the third year shooting guard will surely be felt.
After Dick’s injury, it was Ja’Kobe Walter who stepped up, playing a season-high 32 minutes. His impact was enormous as he was a team-high plus 21, scoring 13 points, hitting three of his five three-point attempts as well as grabbing two offensive rebounds and getting two steals.
Further updates will be posted here when they become available.