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

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LAS VEAGS, NV – JULY 8: Gary Trent Jr. #9 of the Portland Trail Blazers handles the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 8, 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) /

Shot creation

Developing a midrange jumper off the dribble will round out Gary Trent Jr.’s offensive game. If he can consistently make threes and drive past zealous defenders, being able to stop on a dime and pull up from 15 feet away from the basket will make guarding him a difficult task.

At Duke, he only made 43.0% of his two-point field goals. Comparatively, Lillard made 50.1% of his shots inside the three-point line, and McCollum made 46.5%.

Trent Jr.’s midrange jumpers were infrequent, and the lack of in-game experience attempting them made the shot looked forced. The only shot in that range he comfortably tried was an unorthodox fading jumper near the elbow.

However, at Summer League, the guard demonstrated the inkling of a pull-up off the dribble. Several times, he exploded around screens to get the switched big man backpedaling, only to halt and sink a smooth, uncontested 15-footer along the baseline.

Of course, playing against NBA-level defenders won’t make this shot such a freebie. Still, if he continues to develop a midrange game, his dynamic offense will catch Stotts’ eye and earn a couple extra minutes each outing.