Raptors coach Nick Nurse has bleak quote after Gary Trent Jr. injury

The Toronto Raptors gave Gary Trent Jr. a ton of money in the offseason to develop him into an elite 3-and-D wing. Nick Nurse has been thrilled with the results so far, as Trent has averaged 17.3 points and 2.1 steals per game this year as Toronto’s primary shooting guard.

Unfortunately, Trent’s momentum may have been derailed during a loss against the Indiana Pacers. Not only was Toronto demolished by 17 points, but Trent had to leave the game early due to right calf tightness. Trent tried to play through it early in the game, but he didn’t look like himself.

The Raptors are already playing shorthanded, as OG Anunoby has missed the last several games due to a hip injury. Just when it looked like Anunoby was coming back and the Raptors could finally play a game at full strength, Trent was bitten by the injury bug. Nurse gave a very ominous update in his postgame presser.

Nurse claimed that the Raptors need to “cross our fingers” on Trent before commenting on how tough it has been to win games over the last few weeks due to how banged up this team is. A calf injury sidelined Yuta Watanabe for a month, so these injuries are not to be taken lightly.

Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse hinted that Gary Trent Jr. could miss time.

Even if Anunoby comes back, the Raptors limped to the finish line after a long road trip. Khem Birch missed time due to a knee injury, Precious Achiuwa has a shoulder ailment that made his availability spotty, and Anunoby’s hip problem has kept him sidelined.

Toronto is both lacking in bench scoring and perimeter shooting at the moment, and the Trent injury will only make their performances in these two areas more sketchy. In his last seven games before the Indiana loss, Trent was averaging 21.7 points on 47% shooting and 43% from 3-point range on nearly nine attempts per game.

The most natural replacement in the starting lineup is Svi Mykhailiuk. Not only did he play well as a starter when Scottie Barnes missed two games with a thumb ailment, but he might be the best shooter on the Toronto bench. If Trent misses time, look for the Ukrainian to return to the first five on the floor.

The Raptors have found it difficult to sustain any sort of offensive success without Anunoby on the floor and it could be even harder if Trent also joins him on the inactive list. The only thing fans can do right now is cross their fingers and hope that this is a minor injury rather than something more concerning.