A couple months ago, when Jordan Nwora had only played about an hour of basketball with the Raptors, I wrote about the potential of change for the Raptors regarding the Gunner role. Now that we have a much larger sample size for all of Gary Trent Jr., Gradey Dick, and Nwora, it merits another look at a pivotal role for a team that wants to build around a star on the wing and plenty of front court initiation.
The best Dick games are good enough that they'd make one believe that he could hold down 30+ backcourt minutes every night. They're chalk-full of heady cutting, timely rebounding, big time triples, and soft finishes at the bucket. However, they're not yet as consistent as anyone would like them to be. We've seen him spring for 23 points and a career high, we've seen him hit the teens regularly, but he has some really cold nights and there always has to be considerations of the defensive side of the floor.
It's easy to see a good Nwora game and wonder about if he can reach consistency. He's a big guard, he can reliably handle the ball, he can shoot the ball (although, it can be pretty inconsistent), and he can finish at the rim. For a Raptors team that isn't sure how they're going to deal with Trent Jr.'s contract situation this summer, Nwora has the size and skillset to provide a lot of what the Raptors require from a rotational backcourt player -- we see it some games -- but it's been inconsistent.
Does Nwora provide enough to be a no-brainer part of the Raptors future?
