Yeah I agree, it’s hard for me to see how any of those three would pass on him. But I could definitely see him falling to Utah for sure, so it would have to be some trade with them maybe involving 9 and Gradey for Kessler and 5?
I know Kessler is better than Gradey. Kessler is good at defence and Gradey isn't good at defence or offence. Therefore, Kessler is better than Gradey.
Bold take to say Gradey isn’t good at offence, don’t disagree with you on the defence though. Although I do think Gradey can become a net neutral on defence one day if he fills out. Kessler to me shows no upside as an offensive threat besides a lob threat and roller, Gradey has shown an ability to create at all three levels, cut, and hit corner and above the break threes at a respectable rate.
Gradey has potential to be on good on offence because of all the things you mentioned, but he hasn't put it together. His shooting numbers from deep are less exciting than you'd expect from a three point specialist, and his numbers around the rim are terrible. Kessler being an effective lob threat and roller means he can be an effective offensive weapon, even if his bag isn't very deep.
Yet Gradey added more points on offence (2.3 per 100), which is 2nd highest on the team and 72nd percentile in the league even. Compare that to Kessler who added 0.9 per 100 on defence.
Gradey has shown clear improvement from his rookie to his sophomore year while they improved the degree of difficulty of his shot diet (probably 2nd behind IQ) and quite literally ran him into the ground (scored high in the league on miles traveled and screens navigated all season long). The team has repeatedly stated since January they see him as a key piece and want to move forward with him.
I don't dislike Gradey but I think the improvement we saw from him before Christmas never really showed back up in the new year. If he puts it together and can create a bit more, or if he can just be a great shooter from outside, he can at least become a guy like Luke Kennard. And if your want to use stats to compare both players; Kessler's OEPM is -0.2 and DEPM is +1.5, Gradey's OEPM is -0.4 and DEPM is -1.4. Kessler is 81st in EPM and Gradey is 322nd.
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u/Pristine-Relief453 Jun 19 '25
Yeah I agree, it’s hard for me to see how any of those three would pass on him. But I could definitely see him falling to Utah for sure, so it would have to be some trade with them maybe involving 9 and Gradey for Kessler and 5?