Raptors: Gary Trent Jr. describes fight with mystery playoff illness

Gary Trent Jr. and the Toronto Raptors are just one loss away from crashing out of the postseason due to poor performances against the Philadelphia 76ers. While Trent himself was a regular-season sniper that was capable of some very gaudy scoring nights, he was much less lethal in the postseason thanks to a mysterious illness.

Trent was the worst player on the floor in Game 1, as he was clearly struggling to knock down many of the open shots he was nailing with regularity before this series. While Trent did try to play through his ailment in Game 2, it was clear that he should not have participated in this game because of his lethargic showing.

Trent was officially dealing with what has been called a non-COVID illness. Trent should be considered a warrior for even showing up to the arena (much less playing) with a condition that would have kept most Raptors fans out of commission for a very long time.

Trent said that his fever was reaching as high as 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 Celsius) while claiming he lost eight pounds as a result of this disease. Considering how he played in Game 3 back in Toronto, Trent appears to be over the virus. Toronto needs him to be his usual excellent stuff to overcome such impossibly long odds.

Gary Trent Jr. overcame a lot for the Toronto Raptors.

Trent scored 24 points on 9-19 shooting and 4-9 from 3-point range in that Game 3. Unlike his star teammates in Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, Trent was able to make a name for himself in clutch scenarios by taking and making some impactful shots in the fourth quarter and overtime.

The absence of Matisse Thybulle, who was not able to play in Toronto due to his vaccination status, helped Trent get open shots that improved his confidence. With at least one more game without Thybulle in the ranks for Philadelphia, a big scoring day might be in order.

At the very least, whatever principles Nick Nurse preached in practice before Game 3 seemed to work. A steady diet of the apparently healthy Trent and OG Anunoby leading the charge on offense might be the only way forward for this Raptors team if they want to do the impossible.

None can ever question Trent’s commitment to his team after what just transpired. Trent appeared to be on the verge of passing out and he was still giving it his all over the last few games. He’s quickly become an integral part of the future of this Raptors franchise.