Gary Trent Jr. has never really gotten a fair shake in Portland, has he? Drafted No. 37 overall back in the 2018 NBA Draft, he was never really entitled to one either. Trent Jr. was always going to have to fight hard to see any minutes in a league deep with talented guards. But where’s the light at the end of the tunnel for GTJ?
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are both signed through 2025 and 2024, respectively. That hole in the starting lineup is never going to open, so it leaves very talented players stuck in the trenches of the second unit fighting for playing time.
It certainly doesn’t help Gary’s case that Anfernee Simons has thoroughly looked much more like a pure shooting guard than a point guard. In fact, it may even benefit the team to permanently slide Anfernee to the two and find a true playmaker to run the point.
Trent Jr. has only played in half of the Trail Blazers’ games, seemingly glued to the bench. In the games he has played, he’s been limited to just 11.4 minutes per outing. His opportunities to prove his worth have been ever so fleeting all season long, and thing’s don’t seem to be looking up for him any time soon.
But when GTJ has played, he’s actually looked like a competent basketball player. He’s allowed himself to become just one cog in the offensive scheme, letting things flow naturally instead of forcing his offense. Although it comes on a relatively small sample size of just 49 attempts, Trent Jr. has drilled 40.8 percent of his 3-pointers.
I believe their is a place for Gary Trent Jr. in this league, it just probably won’t come with the Portland Trail Blazers. I expect Olshey to dangle the guard as trade bait while he still has another year left on his deal, in hopes of not having to forfeit future draft picks.