Raptors: Where does Gary Trent Jr. rank among East shooting guards?

The Toronto Raptors hitched themselves to Gary Trent Jr. for the next few seasons, as the former Portland Trail Blazers guard who was acquired by Masai Ujiri in the Norman Powell swap signed a three-year, $51 million contract this offseason.

While Trent is still just 22 years old and has been a bit of a work in progress on defense, he can shoot the lights out and finish at the rim when he gets into a groove, and Toronto is banking on a high volume of shots alongside Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet unlocking his offensive star power.

The Raptors needed someone with his ability to snipe from long range, as the combination of both an Eastern Conference full of quality guards and the Raptors putting a ton of emphasis on forwards like OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam means that Trent has a ton on his place this season.

Where does Trent rank among starting shooting guards in the East? Using each team’s projected starter off-ball, let’s see where Trent holds up based on what he’s shown us recently.

Where does Toronto Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. rank among East SGs?

15. Killian Hayes, Detroit Pistons

Hayes will likely secede a good chunk of the ball-handling duties to rookie sensation Cade Cunningham, and that’s not ideal for a player that looked totally overwhelmed by the speed of the NBA game as a rookie. Hopefully, a better Detroit squad in 2021 can help Hayes improve.

14. Markelle Fultz, Orlando Magic

Fultz will likely be handling the ball less as well, as the arrival of Jalen Suggs and the continued development of Cole Anthony will negatively impact him. If he comes back after his injury and looks explosive, he could climb a bit higher up this list.

13. Donte DiVincenzo, Milwaukee Bucks

DiVincenzo might’ve had to sit out Milwaukee’s postseason run, but he has proven to be a quality defender and shooter that made some big shots on the path to the Bucks’ title. If he manages to stay healthy, he might get the recognition he deserves during Milwaukee’s quest to repeat.

12. Seth Curry, Philadelphia 76ers

With Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid both poor shooters, the 76ers need to make sure that they are surrounded by elite shooters. For his defensive faults, Curry can certainly stroke it from long range, and that is good enough for 12th on the list.

11. Duncan Robinson, Miami Heat

It’s fair to look with a degree of skepticism at Robinson’s hefty long-term contract given his poor defense, but he is one of the best shooters in the game, and that trait combined with his height could make him a valuable asset on a Heat team that should be a contender this year.

10. Gary Trent Jr., Toronto Raptors

Trent might’ve dealt with some injury problems near the end of last season, and he only had one season of high-end scoring production (his 16.2 points per game effort last year) but everything about his skillset, trajectory, and role in Toronto’s offense could line up to make him one of the best young guards in the game.

9. Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics

Smart is quite honestly a coin flip when compared to Trent, as he is a 38% shooter from the field over the last two seasons, but Smart’s defensive skills on some quality Celtics teams make him a good role player for what Boston is trying to accomplish.

8. Bodgan Bogdanovic, Atlanta Hawks

Bogdanovic’s 16.4 points per game were by no means empty stats, as adding him into the foot unquestionably helped Atlanta morph from a team with talent and promise into a conference finalist and a legit contender in the East. The top five may not be out of reach for him.

7. Evan Fournier, New York Knicks

As disappointing as Fournier was in his Boston tenure, and despite the fact that the Knicks may have overpaid to bring him in, Fournier is still a walking bucket from almost anywhere on the court, and the Raptors should be a bit fearful that a rival added a player of his caliber in free agency.

6. Terry Rozier, Charlotte Hornets

Rozier went from a free-agency question mark to a player that has emerged as one of the more underrated scorers in the game alongside LaMelo Ball. Rozier’s 19.3 points per game in his two years with Charlotte show that he is in a much better situation than whatever he was being forced into with the Celtics.

5. Caris LeVert, Indiana Pacers

Sent to Indiana in the James Harden deal, LeVert started to emerge as a quality scorer with the Nets, and after a health scare robbed him of some playing time in Indiana, the Michigan alum proved his scoring stroke was not just a product of Brooklyn’s offense. He’s without question a part of the Pacers’ foundation.

4. Collin Sexton, Cleveland Cavaliers

Sexton’s production might get minimalized by some haters who think he’s just the product of a bad team, but he has evolved into a truly elite scorer. The next step for Sexton will be improving his efficiency and becoming a bit of a better playmaker that sets his teammates up for success.

3. Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls

LaVine should pair nicely with DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic this year. While he might see a slight dip in his scoring numbers given all of the talents around him, that shouldn’t be taken as a sign of regression. The Bulls have playoff aspirations, which could help unveil LaVine’s true talents to a wider audience.

2. Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards

Beal is coming off of consecutive seasons in which he topped 30 points per game. No matter how you slice it, that is elite production that has him on a Hall of Fame trajectory. Time will tell if Beal can lead Washington to the postseason this year or if he will start planning an exit.

1. James Harden, Brooklyn Nets

Even if you switched Kyrie Irving into this spot given Harden’s ball dominance, he would still take the top spot. Harden is one of the greatest scorers the game has ever seen and a triple-double machine, and the combination of those two factors could be enough to get the Nets into the postseason.