RaiQuan Gray — once a 6-8, 260-pound point guard for Dillard — heads to Nets in NBA draft
Ever since he has played at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, RaiQuan Gray has been one of the most unorthodox players in the country. On Thursday, his unique style carried him all the way to the NBA.
The Brooklyn Nets selected Gray with the 29th pick in the second round of the 2021 NBA draft Thursday — No. 59 overall, the penultimate pick of the draft — to become the first Broward County native drafted since 2010.
Gray is also the third Florida State Seminole picked Thursday. Fellow Florida State forward Scottie Barnes — who helped Davie’s NSU University School win a pair of state titles in 2018 and 2019, but is a native of West Palm Beach and graduated from Montverde Academy — went No. 4 overall to the Toronto Raptors to kick off the draft for the Seminoles.
Gray also led Dillard to a pair of state championships in 2016 and 2017 as a 6-foot-8, 260-pound point guard. Gray was a first-team all-county selection by the Miami Herald both years and committed to Florida State.
After redshirting his first year in Tallahassee, Gray played a small role as a redshirt freshman, and steadily improved as his conditioning got better and he honed his unique skill set. As a redshirt junior last season, Gray averaged 11.9 points per game, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists to earn third-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors, and honorable mention All-America recognition. Despite one year of eligibility remaining and no guarantee of being drafted, Gray declared for the 2021 draft in April.
Now the Nets will try to make Gray’s unusual blend of abilities work at the highest level. Gray, who grew up playing football and is the cousin of former NFL quarterback Quinn Gray, plays like a guard in a defensive lineman’s or tight end’s body. He didn’t grow to his current size until he was a sophomore in high school, so he kept his guard skills as he developed into a power forward.
Although he showed up at the NBA Draft Combine last month at nearly 270 pounds and 17-percent body fat, Gray has the potential to earn a spot in Brooklyn seif he can keep himself in shape and keep up athletically in the NBA.
This story was originally published July 30, 2021 at 12:47 AM.
