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Trail Blazers: Gary Trent Jr wants to be Defensive Player of the year

By Stevie Cozens

PORTLAND, OREGON - FEBRUARY 23: Gary Trent Jr. #2 of the Portland Trail Blazers dribbles with the ball in the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons during their game at Moda Center on February 23, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. 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. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - FEBRUARY 23: Gary Trent Jr. #2 of the Portland Trail Blazers dribbles with the ball in the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons during their game at Moda Center on February 23, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. 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. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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Portland Trail Blazers guard Gary Trent Jr appeared on the Blazers Edge podcast recently and discussed how he would like to win Defensive Player of the Year

We all know how great of a defender Gary Trent Jr. is, in just his second year in the league the Portland Trail Blazers guard went from out of the rotation to guarding the league’s best ball-handlers in James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

Recently appearing on the Blazers edge podcast, Trent was asked about his defense and said he would love to win a Defensive Player of the year award or be named in All-Defensive teams.

Let’s break down what he needs to do to really be in the running for these accolades.

The first thing we’ve already touched on – guarding the opposition’s best players. These days you couldn’t get away with it, but in the past we saw players like Kobe Bryant get All-Defense selections even though they weren’t guarding the other teams best wing threat.

Trent already graduated to guarding the best ball-handlers, and then when Trevor Ariza was off the floor he would sometimes guard threes as well, so tick that box.

NBA players have spoken in depth about these awards and how they are given out, how the voting isn’t always straight-forward and what combination of things get you there.

Analytics, narrative and even hustle gets you credit with the people making the votes. We all know how important advanced analytics are, in this regard Trent needs to show that he made his team better defensively when he was on the floor, as well as showing strong individual numbers.

Breaking down his numbers from the 19/20 season he has some strong counting stats. He doesn’t foul too often, and he is in the top half of his position for block and steal rate.

His overall advanced stats aren’t anything to write home about yet, but he was playing on one of the worst defense’s in the league while also only getting a proper role in January where he could impact the team more.

When you go one layer deeper though, it starts to get interesting. Mainly, Trent played with CJ McCollum on the second unit and when he was on the court the team was 1 points per 100 possessions better on defense.

But playing with Damian Lillard he is so much better and so is the team defense at a rate of around 6 points per 100 possessions. The below tweet shows how much better they were on both ends.

Trent probably can’t play the three full-time, but if there was ever a situation where he was the starting shooting guard, he may have the advanced stats required of an All-Defensive selection.

The eye test and on-court product in terms of his defense is obviously a massive part of getting recognition nationally and gaining votes. The Blazers don’t get massive amounts of TV games so going against and defending stars or top NBA teams will help his case.

Though the two defensive plays in the clip below aren’t earth shattering, Trent shows his length, awareness and lateral quickness. In the play where he is defending Goran Dragic he moves his feet well to cover any driving lanes and then disrupts the play by stealing the ball after deflecting a pass.

In the next play he has the presence of mind to strip Bam Adebayo after Bam comes down with the rebound and is unsighted in terms of seeing where Trent is positioned.

Positioning and IQ help Trent make these plays, and obviously his speed, strength and length are key as well.

In terms of narrative for awards and votes, Trent is a no frills type of dude. He isn’t going to make the fuss Patrick Beverley does, so he won’t get that type of recognition. He goes about his business and makes plays, just getting the job done. He doesn’t flop or try get in people’s heads with off the ball stuff.

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He may not get the recognition he deserves straight away because of those factors, but considering all of the above he has an opportunity to put himself on the map with his defense and even a potential sixth man of the year nod.

In year two he can tick most of the above boxes and show the national media he has the potential to be an elite defender. These are exciting times for Trail Blazers fans.