Everything Gary Trent Jr.

[Primer]

this is how the raptors should tell Trent to play

With a mask on.

[grindhouse]

With a mask on.

Every super hero has their thing whether that’s put the mask on or take the glasses off. Whatever Trent needs to do

[WJF]

The offense is starting to come along at no expense of his surprisingly good defense to start the year. Now shooting slightly over 35% from three after a slow start.

[bertarapsfan]

This kid is good and only getting better.. If we get this consistent shooting and defensive activity to pair with our other dudes we are going to be a really good team. Not in the future either. Like right now

[The Claw Reborn]

I thought NN had some kind words about his Starting Shooting Guard during the post game presser…”why they took him because he can be one of the top defenders of this league”

They have an eye on him while he was still in Portland

[saints91]

He played incredibly well in the bubble, and basically all there was to do was to watch other teams play. I’m glad he was a target at the deadline.

He played well last year too. I was a bit nervous about his shot selection, but he seems to be adapting really well.

[Puffer]

If he can keep playing the way he started this season he will be an absolute steal. It is a complete trope in the NBA with the talking heads, the narrative about a player moving to another team and suddenly having other aspects of their game revealed or blossoming into a new role. But over the last few seasons, it seems to happen with the Raptors on a more frequent basis. Whether it is a late lottery or undrafted player, or a player like Khem, Gary or (in the preseason) Precious, players tend to blossom more often than not. I wonder if this is invading the consciousness of disgruntled talents chaffing under strictly enforced role cards (tip of the hat to Casey). It could help grease the skids in terms of personnel movement to the Raptors.

Maybe I am seeing something that isn't there, but that's my take on it.

[WJF]

If he can keep playing the way he started this season he will be an absolute steal. It is a complete trope in the NBA with the talking heads, the narrative about a player moving to another team and suddenly having other aspects of their game revealed or blossoming into a new role. But over the last few seasons, it seems to happen with the Raptors on a more frequent basis. Whether it is a late lottery or undrafted player, or a player like Khem, Gary or (in the preseason) Precious, players tend to blossom more often than not. I wonder if this is invading the consciousness of disgruntled talents chaffing under strictly enforced role cards (tip of the hat to Casey). It could help grease the skids in terms of personnel movement to the Raptors.

Maybe I am seeing something that isn't there, but that's my take on it.

I think you are not making something out of nothing. Some coaches have the ability to instill confidence in players and allow them to blossom and play freely. Nurse seems to have that in him. It allows him to call guys out without it causing long lasting problems. I think guys truly love playing for him and the Raptors. Maybe that will result in us becoming a destination.

[bertarapsfan]

I think you are not making something out of nothing. Some coaches have the ability to instill confidence in players and allow them to blossom and play freely. Nurse seems to have that in him. It allows him to call guys out without it causing long lasting problems. I think guys truly love playing for him and the Raptors. Maybe that will result in us becoming a destination.

It must be refreshing to come here. Dude was in Portland where 90% of the time it was just dame and C.J. The offense is theirs and you get some scraps here and there maybe late kick out at the end of the clock, but both arn't top notch defenders so you get the toughest assignment and Dame gets the love when he hits the late 3 with fresh legs.

Now he comes to T.O we have 2 guys we have invested in (FVV, O.G) and a lottery pick. But the team runs plays for you, tells you to be aggressive and get steals, while having teammates that can back you up with elite D if you get beat.. And lets you do some iso ball/ looking for your own shot. I can see why he would be more engaged

[The Claw Reborn]

Leading the league in steals

6 Career High Steals against Cleveland

[WJF]

Leading the league in steals

6 Career High Steals against Cleveland

I was worried that his new defensive prowess was not going to be sustainable, but a 10 game sample is encouraging.

[big boi]

Trent has shown a real willingness to defend hard this year. But I was disappointed on two occasions last game, during critical times in the game, there were loose balls that Gary could have come up with, or gone after much harder / jumped on, that he didn't, and in a game that ended up being decided by a missed tip in by a player with a thumb injury, it could have made all the difference. I think some teachable moments in that game, I suspect if watching video, Trent will feel pretty bad about not going all out to win those balls. He did dive on a loose ball on the last defensive possession after a deflection he created, but really could have done much better earlier, when he missed two opportunities to do that. I really hate it when players try to dribble a loose or bouncing ball in traffic, rather than just grabbing the mfer and then worry about dribbling it after. Definitely not all Gary's fault, plenty of blame to go around, poor clock management, poor shot selection etc., but when you have a team down by 5 and you can put your foot on their throat (in this case by doing everything you can to come up with a loose ball), you need to do so. I hope they watched lots of video and are frustrated how they let themselves lose that game and are determined to not repeat those mistakes again.

[GOLDBLUM]

Gary currently sitting in 3rd place on NBA.com's DPOY ladder:

https://www.nba.com/news/defensive-p...v-2021-edition

[Puffer]

Gary currently sitting in 3rd place on NBA.com's DPOY ladder:

https://www.nba.com/news/defensive-p...v-2021-edition

There were some questions about his defense at the trade, I think Slaw nailed it:

"I would say he is slightly above average defensively. He can defend both guard positions decently, though he does struggle in screen and roll at times. He is not that great against bigger wings though he is pesky - not sure how that will translate if the Raps switch everything. He is definitely not a guy who can guard stars consistently as he has some physical limitations. The good news is that he plays really hard and some of his defensive issues have more to do with technique (he tends to give up a lot of runway to ballhandlers and he opens up a lot on screens for some reason), so that should improve."

[LJ2]

His defense, shot selection and consistency were all in question coming into this season. What's everyone's thoughts on that through 17 games? Is that contract an overpay now considering his age, and improvement trajectory?