Portland Trail Blazers guard Gary Trent Jr may be the next three and stud in the NBA. How did he fare in his second season in the league?
The Portland Trail Blazers struck gold in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft. In Gary Trent Jr, they found what every team craves; a three and d wing. It may not have been evident in the 2019 season, as Trent barely played, but this season he exploded.
For people that knew Trent, maybe it was apparent that he would breakout. He is a great worker and has an exemplary attitude. But for fans and media nationally, he was a large unknown.
I’ve touched on it in the past, but the NBA is about opportunity. If Rodney Hood and Zach Collins don’t go down early, then maybe Trent doesn’t break out till next season.
When the Blazers injury woes hit hard around the new year, Trent was thrown into the fire. January was when Terry Stotts knew that he could play. From there on, Trent shot 42 percent from three, on five and a half attempts a game. That included the bubble seeding games, where he was one of the best players on both ends of the ball, as well as maybe the best three-point shooter.
Of players that attempted seven or more threes a game in the Bubble, Trent had the highest percentage at 48.4%.
But it wasn’t only his shooting that stood out. As soon as we saw him play more minutes, his temperament and toughness came through. As a defender, he was to the fore right away. Before Trevor Ariza came in a trade for Kent Bazemore, Trent instantly became the best defender at the point of attack.
He already had size on his side as he is six-foot-five with a six-foot-nine wingspan, but his strength and basketball IQ were to the fore as he took on some of the most challenging assignments in the game. He didn’t succeed on every possession, but he grew in confidence quite quickly and was able to make plays on the defensive end consistently.
Also, as a cutter or with the ball in his hands, he showed some stuff too. He has a dribble pull up game, be it off a screen or dribbling into a mid-range attempt. He is more comfortable getting to the cup now as well.
Within a season, we saw him evolve from just being a spot-up shooter to being the third scoring option on a playoff team. He averaged 17 points a game in the seeding games, then 14 overall when including the playoffs. Trent even guarded LeBron James in the playoffs, doing a commendable job considering the 50 pounds and three inches he gave up.
There are a few work on’s for him going into his third NBA season. The first would be passing on the move and trying to hit cutters from the perimeter. As people will respect his shot now, he will command attention on the perimeter; the ability to attack closeouts or look for a pass at the rim will help elevate his game overall.
The same can be said for his rebounding; Trent’s strength and size should mean he is the best guard rebounder on the Blazers. He can be of assistance to the smaller Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
As a player who can play both the two and the three, Trent’s best position on this team is probably a sixth man who plays significant minutes and is on the floor in crunch time. He can move between both roles depending on what the team needs.
Blazer fans can rejoice because this team has a plus perimeter defender who can knock down the three. We look forward to seeing how Trent develops over the next few years; he has a huge future ahead of him.