Gary Trent Jr. showed off all-around play in Summer League

Gary Trent Jr. may not have shot well from three in Summer League, but he showed off aspects of his game not utilized at Duke.

In his lone season at Duke, Gary Trent Jr. was purely a three-point shooter. He attempted 6.5 three-pointers per game, more than any other player on the team. By the end of the season, he had taken 241 threes out of 427 total shots.

Even at such a high volume, Trent Jr. still knocked down 40.2% of his outside attempts. This helped him become the all-time freshman record holder for total three-pointers made in a season with 97. This broke J.J. Redick’s record of 95 that had stood since 2003.

The Portland Trail Blazers need three-point shooting. Neil Olshey focused every offseason transaction on addressing this problem highlighted in the playoff series versus the New Orleans Pelicans.

However, Trent Jr. played a more well-rounded role for the Blazers team that won the Summer League Championship. He often brought the ball up the court, hit midrange shots off the dribble, and of course sunk threes.

Shooting

As expected in a rookie’s Summer League, Gary Trent Jr. struggled from the field. Over the seven games, he shot 28/79, or 35.4%. From beyond the arc, he shot 10/31 (32.3%), including 0/8 across the final two games.

Transitioning from catch-and-shoot threes at Duke to creating his own shots likely worsened his shooting in Summer League. However, Trent Jr. did capitalize on open looks similar to the ones in college.

Another interesting feature of his game displayed in Summer League was the step back baseline jumper. Trent Jr. would get the defending big man backpedaling after switching on the screen with an explosive first step. The rookie could pull up for an uncontested midrange shot because the opposing big man doesn’t have the speed or agility to recover after that first step.

The Blazers will likely play Trent Jr. like Mike Krzyzewski did at Duke. There are enough ball handlers on the team, so having a sniper like Trent Jr. running around screens better benefits the offense.

Passing

Portland’s 2018 Summer League team didn’t have as many ball handlers as the regular season roster will. Besides Wade Baldwin IV, no other player consistently ran point guard each game.

As a result, Trent Jr. brought the ball up the court occasionally and showed off his playmaking skills.

Through all seven games, the rookie only turned the ball over twice. He recorded 1.4 assists per game, so it’s not an assist-to-turnover ratio to cry home about. Nonetheless, the basketball IQ displayed by a player competing at a higher level for the first time is remarkable.

Unfortunately, we probably won’t see this style of play out of Trent Jr. in his first season. The Blazers already have Seth Curry to back up Damian Lillard, with Baldwin fighting to get point guard minutes as well.

Defense

Gary Trent Jr.’s defense wasn’t touted entering the draft.

At the combine, he recorded a lane agility time of 11.37 seconds. This ranked 21st out of 27 prospects labelled as shooting guards. He also had a slightly above average maximum vertical of 39.5 inches.

However Trent Jr. ran a 3/4 court sprint time of 3.12 seconds, barely behind the leader (Josh Okogie at 3.04 seconds).

In Summer League, the rookie averaged 1.3 steals per game, almost the same as his lone season at Duke (1.2). These steals were gathered in 23.1 minutes of playing time, compared to 33.8 minutes of time in college.

Trent Jr.’s defensive IQ displayed on a few plays give Blazers fans hope for his development on defense. Hopefully the athleticism – agility and vertical – can improve under NBA training to allow him to optimize this defensive intelligence.

Next: Blazers should use pick and roll more with bench

The Blazers acquired Gary Trent Jr. as a three-point shooter. Some fans are therefore down on the rookie after his poor Summer League outing from beyond the arc.

However, Trent Jr.’s impressive development in playmaking and defense are extremely positive signs. The three-point shooting will come along – he’s a natural. Seeing the other aspects of his game in Summer League make the second round pick look like a steal for Portland.