Milwaukee Bucks 99, Toronto Raptors 85

Gradey Dick plays like a man.

The 20-year-old is no longer the 16-year-old boy the Raptors joked he looked like last season. That’s not to say he looks that remarkably different physically, but the way he plays is night and day compared to last season.

First, he stepped up to Giannis Antetokounmpo, who drove a head of steam straight into Dick, who drew the offense in the first quarter. It was the kind of game that showcased Dick’s improved defensive positioning and toughness with which he plays this season.

At the other end, Dick was phenomenal, dropping a game-high 32 points in 38 minutes. He took advantage of the Bucks trying to drive him off the three-point line and used that extra attention to draw fouls near the rim. In the first half alone, Dick went to the line for 14 tries, collecting 12 from the charity stripe. He had 22 of Toronto’s 43 points before halftime, leading Toronto’s otherwise sluggish offense to competence.

Dick’s development this season has been the biggest reason for optimism this year. He drove over Andre Jackson Jr. before hooking a fadeaway jumper on the right baseline and later stepped in a 25-foot three-pointer without hesitation. When the Raptors get healthy this season — if the Raptors get healthy this season — the emergence of Dick as a spaceman who can contort opposing defenses will greatly help Toronto’s offense.

RJ Barrett is going through it again.

The 24-year-old has always been a bit of a scrappy player and he seems to just be forcing shots a bit more than he needs to now. Part of that is his increased role with Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes out, and the fact that Barrett is Toronto’s most important offensive creator right now. That said, Tuesday wasn’t pretty for Barrett, who repeatedly had shot attempts by Brook Lopez near the rim snuffed out.

Given how depleted Toronto’s roster is these days, the Raptors can’t afford to have Barrett be as ineffective as he has been the past two games. He finished Tuesday’s game with seven points on 3-for-14 shooting.

Immanuel Quickley will miss at least a week with a partial tear in his left UCL and it looks like it might be a bit longer than that. It’s the latest in a string of injuries that have left the Raptors depleted and at times uncompetitive. Toronto has done a pretty good job in these games, but it’s hard to see the Raptors righting this ship until the reinforcements come back in the next few weeks.

Tuesday marked the start of this year’s NBA Cup action, and it’s safe to say the Raptors won’t be in the mix this year. The lopsided loss leaves the Raptors at 0-1 in the group stage with a -14 point differential.

One more thing: the brightly colored fields make these games hard to watch. I wasn’t a fan of the bright blue court for the Bucks.

The Raptors will have a few days off to regroup after their five-game road trip before kicking off Friday against the Detroit Pistons at 7:00 PM ET.