RaiQuan Gray spent his first two seasons in Long Island with the Brooklyn Nets G League affiliate.
While he was a solid player during those seasons, his third year in the league and his first with the Austin Spurs showed exactly the type of player that Gray can develop to be. Standing at 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds, the forward from Florida State has the athletic tools and ability needed to succeed in the modern-day NBA.
Gray was someone Austin looked to often, playing over 30 minutes per game this season. He didn’t disappoint in those minutes, averaging 17.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Gray’s versatility and ability to make plays himself or find his teammates for shots makes him valuable. He is a player that can be everywhere on the court, grabbing rebounds, making shots and finding open teammates for scores.
Another part of Gray’s game that may go overlooked is his ability to stretch the floor when necessary. Gray isn’t an elite shooter by any means, but for his size he can make the defense pay if left wide open. Shooting 38 percent on two shots from 3 a game, he shoots just well enough to make the defense respect the threat.
All of these things make Gray a player that shows extreme potential, but the piece that puts Gray into the territory of potentially making an NBA roster in the future is his defensive ability.
With the evolving game, forwards have to be able to guard all types of players on the court. Bigs can shoot like never before and if you can’t defend on multiple levels you’ll get left in the dust. Thankfully for Gray that hasn’t proven an issue. Averaging 2.1 steals and 0.6 blocks per game, Gray has proved himself as a worthy defender. In fact, Gray finished the season with a 103.4 defensive rating, putting him in the top 40 of all G League players, and second on the Spurs.
Gray has proven his versatility and willingness to play defense for the Austin Spurs. He also managed to score 13 points in just 13 minutes against the Thunder in one of his 3 NBA appearances this season. His development could be a great project for the Austin Spurs coaches if he continues to improve in the coming seasons.
