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

By Nate Mann

TARRYTOWN, NY - AUGUST 12: Gary Trent Jr. #9 of the Portland Trail Blazers poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot on August 12, 2018 at the Madison Square Garden Training Facility in Tarrytown, New York. 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
TARRYTOWN, NY - AUGUST 12: Gary Trent Jr. #9 of the Portland Trail Blazers poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot on August 12, 2018 at the Madison Square Garden Training Facility in Tarrytown, New York. 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LAS VEAGS, NV – JULY 17: Gary Trent Jr. #9 of the Portland Trail Blazers goes to the basket against the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 17, 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)
LAS VEAGS, NV – JULY 17: Gary Trent Jr. #9 of the Portland Trail Blazers goes to the basket against the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 17, 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) /

Drive more

In Terry Stotts’ style of offense, no player has a one-dimensional role. While Trent Jr. will attempt a majority of his shots from beyond the arc, he won’t be restricted to only taking threes.

Once the rookie establishes himself as a perimeter threat in the NBA, defenders will play him tight when he has the ball in his hands. This opens the opportunity to penetrate, something Trent Jr. didn’t do frequently in Summer League.

Gary Trent Jr.'s Summer League breakdown. light. More

At the NBA Draft Combine, he logged times of 3.12 seconds in the three-quarter court sprint and 2.99 seconds in the shuttle run. Both times finished within .06 seconds of the top-three shooting guard prospects.

This respectable speed and agility should encourage Trent Jr. to drive more as he can blow by overcommitted defenders. Besides resulting in higher-percentage looks around the rim, a Blazers player besides Lillard and McCollum penetrating can free them up for uncontested outside looks, something that doesn’t happen often enough.

One final benefit of Trent Jr. getting to the basket more is the possibility of getting to the foul line. In college, he made 87.6% of his free throw attempts, and he mimicked that success in Summer League.

The rookie displayed his affinity for drawing fouls against the Utah Jazz, when he made all nine free throws in 19 minutes of play.