Raptors MVP, LVP, and more at quarter mark of 2022-23 season

LVP: Gary Trent Jr.

The Raptors were expecting big things from Trent, who could potentially opt out of his contract and hit the open market once again. Rather than fulfilling his role as the team’s top perimeter shot-generator, we’ve seen Trent get mired in some nasty slumps on both sides of the ball.

Trent has averaged 16.1 points and 1.6 steals per game. Sounds solid, right? Well, he is at an even 40% shooting the ball and 31% from 3-point range. His defensive effort, which is not as impressive as it was last year, was so poor that Nick Nurse called him out in a very public way.

The Toronto Raptors need more from Gary Trent Jr.

There is some good news. Trent had a very solid night off the bench against the Cavs, and he’s looked much more productive on defense since Nurse took him to task over his performance. Hopefully, this kicks off a hot streak for the volatile former Duke star.

The Raptors are not going to abandon Trent anytime soon, as they saw too many good things from him last year to call that breakout season a fluke. He’s a streaky player in a bit of a cold spell right now, and Toronto needs to do whatever it can to get his confidence back up.