Blazers: 5 goals for Gary Trent Jr. to achieve in his rookie season

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LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 12: Gary Trent Jr. #9 of the Portland Trail Blazers shoots a 3-pointer during the game against the Atlanta Hawks during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 12, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Three-point shooting

The reason Portland drafted Trent Jr. and the vital element in his amount of play time is three-point shooting.

Last season, the Blazers ranked in the bottom half of the league in three-pointers made. The team knocked down its outside shots at a 36.2% rate, but only a few players reliably contributed to the success. Besides Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, no one else made more than two threes per contest.

The absence of a third shooter went undiscovered throughout the season, but the New Orleans Pelicans exposed it during the playoffs. Portland made 10.8 threes in that series – an increase on its regular season average – but converted on 33.3% of the attempts, which would’ve ranked last in the league.

Playing alongside three 2018 first round draft picks, Trent Jr.’s job at Duke was to get open and hit catch-and-shoot threes. He proved himself more than capable of the role, making 40.2% of his 6.5 attempts per game.

The Blazers need a player to come off the bench and alleviate the pressure on Lillard and McCollum to provide perimeter scoring. With an able three-point shooter on the wing, they can drive and feel confident in kicking the ball out as defenders collapse.

However, Trent Jr. needs to translate his shooting talent to the NBA. Lots of guards shoot the lights out in college, but can’t adjust to the higher level of defense and see a significant drop in their three-point percentage. For him to earn a stable spot in the rotation, the rookie will likely need to make at least 37% of his threes.