Second-year Portland Trail Blazers guard Gar Trent Jr. broke out in the NBA Bubble in Orlando. Now against the Lakers, he is the most important roleplayer.
Gary Tren Jr went from not being in the Portland Trail Blazers rotation, to now being the most crucial roleplayer in a playoff game against the might of the Los Angeles Lakers.
His stats in the bubble show how big of a part he played in getting the Blazers to the playoffs.
16.9 points a game on 50 percent shooting from three.
Why is the second-year wing so key to the Blazers chances in this series?
He has size
When Anfernee Simons was in the rotation to start the 2019/20 season, the Blazers had three guards that were six-foot-three and smaller. Sometimes having to play all three together after Rodney Hood and Zach Collins went down injured. None of these three could slow down wings, with only Lillard capable of taking the bigger threats from time to time.
The idea of Lillard guarding the opposition’s best wing was madness when you consider the offensive load he had to shoulder. Enter, Trent.
At six-foot-five with a six-foot-nine wingspan and a physical profile better than all three of the above players, Trent can competently guard both the one and the two, while he has performed credibly on guys like Paul George. He is our only strong wing defender, and he makes a massive difference on that end.
Three-point shooting
Trent is obviously on a team that has a few snipers already. But the attention that Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum command, means that Trent quite often finds himself with a mismatch for a drive or an open three. A 40 percent career shooter from three, Trent already has some versatility with his shot. He can pullup off the dribble, or use a high screen. He can also pump fake from the perimeter and dribble into the midrange, where he hits 44 percent.
Shooting 50 percent on threes in the bubble seeding games, Trent knocked down some massive shots down the stretch. With the Lakers two best perimeter defenders committed to Dame and CJ, Trent’s matchup with Kyle Kuzma or Dion Waiters could decide a game or two.
Defense
If you can knock down threes and then play tough defense, you will probably make $100 million and have a ten-year NBA career. Trent’s defense down the stretch against Ja Morant in the play-in game was huge, and a massive part of the reason that the Blazers won that game.
Trent can defend multiple positions and can defend larger players on the wing. His length and developing strength means that he is the lone Blazer player who can match up with some of the bigger wings in this league. He can jump passing lanes to get steals as his help instincts develop, and as a guard, he is developing into a strong shot blocker as well.
Trent is the most important role player going into this Lakers series, and one of the overall keys to this matchup. Though he is just 21, Trent has shown maturity beyond his years, and he won’t shy away from the challenge against the Lakers.