NBA Draft: Breaking down Blazers pick Gary Trent Jr.

The Portland Trail Blazers made its second straight trade with the Sacramento Kings at the NBA Draft, this time to select Gary Trent Jr. at No. 37.

As if taking one guard wasn’t enough, the Blazers decided to swap two future second round picks with the Sacramento Kings for the draft rights to Gary Trent Jr. at No. 37. The picks are the better of the Los Angeles Lakers or Minnesota Timberwolves’ in 2019 along with the Miami Heat’s in 2021.

Anfernee Simons, the Blazers first draft pick, is an undersized, dynamic-scoring guard. Adding Trent Jr. provides some size in Portland’s backcourt, as well as the team’s first “Blue Blood” program selection in a while.

Related Story: 3 reasons why Anfernee Simons was a good pick

Trent Jr. participated in the team’s first pre-draft workout back on June 1. He was joined by Jalen Brunson, Aaron Holiday, Melvin Frazier, Keita Bates-Diop and Raymond Spalding.

Gary Trent Jr. player breakdown

Gary Trent Jr. is a 6’6″, 200-pound shooting guard out of Duke. He adds size to a remarkably small Blazers backcourt, but doesn’t add the athleticism that new teammate Anfernee Simons does.

At the NBA Draft Combine, Trent Jr. only ranked top-five in standing vertical, jumping a height of 33.5 inches. He recorded a maximum vertical of 39.5 inches, an 11.37-second lane agility time, and a 3.12-second 3/4 court sprint.

These marks are all worse than Simons’ from the combine. But for Trent Jr., athleticism isn’t required for his style of offense.

Offense

Trent Jr. is an elite three-point shooter. He made 97 three-pointers in his one season at Duke, breaking J.J. Redick‘s single-season record of 95 in 2003.

These three-pointers generally came in three varieties.

1. Trent Jr. would set a screen below the rim, then tightly bend around a big man’s screen at the top of the key. The ball handler would wait for him to reach the three-point line at the center of the court and fire a pass. Trent Jr. would catch, plant his feet, and fire a balanced and uncontested look that connected 40.5% of the time.

1. A Duke ball handler would dribble down the court on a fastbreak (or broken full-court press) and force the remaining defensive guard to commit to him on the perimeter. Trent Jr. would slide over to the corner and receive the pass from his teammate with no defenders nearby. leading to an open three-pointer.
2. Trent Jr. occasionally pulled up for three-pointers if the defender gave him any breathing room. This generally happened in games when he caught fire, such as versus Miami in January.

The three-point sniper also penetrates well despite not having an explosive first step. He uses his strength and bulky frame to body defenders away. This generates mildly contested floaters, a shot which Trent Jr. has grown comfortable with.

The Duke guard is not a safe ball handler, though. He avoids taking the ball up the court and focuses too much on dribbling, therefore missing assist opportunities. It often leads to his shot getting blocked as well – defenders know he’s solely focused on scoring when driving.

Defense

Gary Trent Jr. averaged only 1.2 steals per game in 2017-2018. From his combine numbers, he also doesn’t have the best speed and agility to consistently stay in front of quicker guards.

These deficiencies weren’t highlighted in college, though, as Duke played zone defense.

He worked out with the Blazers prior to the draft, so hopefully team management saw his defensive capabilities in that short session and know they can develop him as they did with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

Fit with Blazers

The Blazers needed two things out of a guard if it were to draft one: three-point shooting and size for defense. With Trent Jr. the team ideally gets both.

His 40% three-point shooting and no-hesitation mindset will replace what Portland once had with Allen Crabbe. Plus, it keeps defenders honest and away from helping defend either Lillard or McCollum.

Defensively, Trent Jr. still has a way to go. With improved agility and defensive habits, he can develop into a two-way, above 6’5″ guard for the Blazers.

Next: Were Simons and Trent Jr. the best available picks?

The addition of Simons revived the notion that Portland won’t re-sign Shabazz Napier. Drafting Trent Jr. now makes it a requirement; the team doesn’t need that many guards who all perform similar duties.

Also, it hints at the potential of letting Pat Connaughton walk this summer. Trent Jr. is as capable defensively as Connaughton and can knock down three-pointers at a higher rate.