The Toronto Raptors had to say goodbye to a franchise legend in Norman Powell at the 2021 trade deadline. Replacing him sounded like a tall order, but the Portland Trail Blazers managed to drop an ideal stand-in right into Toronto’s laps. Gary Trent Jr. has quickly become an indefensible starter.
After a promising start in 2021, Trent stepped on the gas last season, averaging 18.3 points per game while serving as one of the top 3-point shooters on a team that generally lacked excellence from the perimeter. Trent still has his best basketball ahead of him at just 23 years old.
Trent is going into the 2022-23 season with the potential to hit free agency once again, as he could decline a player option. Given the league’s emphasis on young guards who can shoot, Trent might be able to cash in a contract worth close to nine figures if he stays hot.
The Raptors are expecting big things out of Trent in the next few years, as they still are somewhat lacking in perimeter support. Expect Trent to rise up from 3-point range often (while playing his brand of much-improved defense) as he strives to reach this handful of goals.
3 goals Gary Trent Jr. could strive for
3. Average three assists per game
Trent is a fantastic offensive player, but he can be a bit of a black hole at times. When he’s hot, he wants to keep shooting no matter who is around him. When he’s cold, he’s just dying for one big 3-pointer to break his streak. Being more involved as a passer might be the best thing for his game.
Trent averaged just 2.0 assists per game last year, which is below what many of Toronto’s top ball-handling guards of yesteryear were putting up. In an offense that preaches being egalitarian and spreading shots around, Trent being a bit more willing to dish it might have immediate positive effects.
Toronto Raptors: Gary Trent Jr. should become a better passer.
Trent can cook with the ball in his hands, but that isn’t going to take him as far as he would like in his career unless he can pair that with a respectable distribution ability. Why not let Trent initiate the offense by bringing the ball up for a couple of possessions every game? It helped Scottie Barnes get better.
No one ever thought Trent would be a good defender in his career, and he has since proven those doubters irrefutably wrong. Nurse has always been able to teach old dogs new tricks, and Trent’s improved passing might be one way to really jumpstart this offense.
2. Lead the league in deflections per game
Trent went from one of the worst defensive players in the league, according to every metric, to someone who can cause turnovers and get a fast break going. Trent’s defense went from tissue-thin to borderline All-Defensive team worthy overnight.
Trent ranked fourth in the league in deflections per game last year. The only three ahead of him were defensive specialist Matisse Thybulle, his own teammate in Fred VanVleet, and All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray. Trent doesn’t need to be Gary Payton next year, but replicating what he did in 2021-22 could land him at the top.
Toronto Raptors: Gary Trent Jr. has become an impact defender.
Trent is never going to be the greatest on-ball defender, despite taking progression in that area last season. His value, and his fit within Toronto’s scheme, is going to come almost entirely from his ability to disrupt passing lanes with some active hands.
The backcourt duo of VanVleet and Trent does not get enough respect, as they were the two primary forces in a defense that forced the most turnovers in the league last season. Expect more of the same from one of the East’s best off-ball guards in his second full season with the team.
1. Average 20 points per game
Like so many impactful Raptors players who have come before him, Trent has developed a habit of consistently improving his game as his tenure in Toronto churns on. Is it unreasonable to assume that someone as young as him with as deep a bag of creative moves as a ball-handler will eventually cross that 20-per-game barrier?
Trent, who reeled off five consecutive 30-point efforts in the middle of the season, has shown beyond a shadow of a doubt he can be a legitimate tertiary scoring option for a team with designs on a championship. Improving his finishing at the rim could help him instantly check this box.
Toronto Raptors: Gary Trent Jr. is a tremendous scorer.
Trent only shot 44% inside the arc last season, with some of his worst numbers coming close to the basket. Toronto should have no complaints about Trent shooting 38% from 3-point range on just under eight 3-point attempts per game. Much like Fred VanVleet, the key to Trent becoming a true offensive star lies in the restricted area.
If Trent can improve his finishing and stay excellent from 3-point range, the Raptors’ average offense from last year will be firmly kicked into the upper echelon. After overcoming long odds as a second-round pick, the potential 2023 free agent is not the person you would want to be doubting.