Trent's Future Role

[TorontoRapsFan]

This guy is a NBA starter. He fits our lineup perfectly. Norm was ideal off the bench because he was a poor defender. GTJ is a two way player. I believe the main reason he was traded by Portland was because he was stuck behind CJ. There is no one blocking him in Toronto.

My impression was that he was traded by Portland because they looked at Norm as an upgrade for this playoff run. He probably was, as he is now their starting SF. That said, he is now their third scoring option, behind CJ and Dame, and always will be, while here, he was often our most efficient, and even number one scoring option. Thus, Norm's stats won't look as good, while Trent's, currently, in his injury fueled starting role, will look great by comparison.

That said, Trent definitely looks like our starting SG of the future, of next season. I'm convinced Lowry is gone this summer and we move forward with FVV as our starting PG. I'm still not sold on Flynn as the backup PG though. He does everything well enough, but his size makes it difficult to imagine him getting very many minutes in the playoffs.

I think part of it was Norm's experience. He has proven he can score as a third option or fourth option in a more complimentary role. He is also a fully developed player, so likely better suited for a team trying to compete. This deal is going to look really bad for Portland in a few years though.

Flynn is a very good backup. Size can definitely be an issue in certain matchups but usually a team and a player can overcome. See Raptors Championship 2019.

I really don't see Portland resigning Norm without getting to the finals or shedding serious salary, maybe CJ's. They have 130 mil committed with norm coming off the books. I think not having a gigantic salary had a lot to do with giving away GTJ.

[Indeed]

mic drop, lock the thread. Any other answer is so wrong there's no point in even discussing it. Dude's been on the team for 2 weeks and it isn't a stretch to say he's one of our top 3 players lol

I have to disagree.
Trent is a very good starter, but definitely not next to VanVleet.

Trent only has 10% at rim attempts, meaning he is a jump shooter and not necessarily gets to the rim at will. Meaning if his shot does not fall, he won't get his scoring from other aspects:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/trentga02.html#all_shooting

I would agree that he is a very good player next to a PG who can create for himself and others, but we lack that player. Even we have that player (eg. from draft), we are not having VanVleet comes off the bench.

You've misread those stats. If you want to take it as a stat for dribble penetration, layup/dunk, then you should add it up to 10feet, which is basically the paint. That makes it 20%. But I also agree that his dribble penetration to the rim through traffic is probably the weakest part of his game. He also doesn't post up against defenders but 99% of guards in the NBA don't do that anymore.
Creating for himself isn't all about getting to the rim. The man creates space and gets his shot off. He also knows when and how to get a good simple look. He has better understanding of slowing down the game to get a bucket than FVV. And I'm not sure why you think FVV playing beside him matters so much for his game.

I never said he cannot create for himself, and again, he is a very good starter, just not next to VanVleet.

The reason he is not a good fit, because VanVleet is not someone who can draw multiple defenders and make use of Trent type of sharp shooter, so I don't see them the best fit next to each other. Neither Trent has a high assist rate to make use of VanVleet shooting.

As for Trent's offense, he is clearly a jump shooter.
https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629018/shots-dash/
33.6% Catch and Shoot
47.3% Pull Ups
18.6% Less than 10 feet

80% are shooting

[bluerap23]

My impression was that he was traded by Portland because they looked at Norm as an upgrade for this playoff run. He probably was, as he is now their starting SF. That said, he is now their third scoring option, behind CJ and Dame, and always will be, while here, he was often our most efficient, and even number one scoring option. Thus, Norm's stats won't look as good, while Trent's, currently, in his injury fueled starting role, will look great by comparison.

That said, Trent definitely looks like our starting SG of the future, of next season. I'm convinced Lowry is gone this summer and we move forward with FVV as our starting PG. I'm still not sold on Flynn as the backup PG though. He does everything well enough, but his size makes it difficult to imagine him getting very many minutes in the playoffs.

I think part of it was Norm's experience. He has proven he can score as a third option or fourth option in a more complimentary role. He is also a fully developed player, so likely better suited for a team trying to compete. This deal is going to look really bad for Portland in a few years though.

Flynn is a very good backup. Size can definitely be an issue in certain matchups but usually a team and a player can overcome. See Raptors Championship 2019.

I really don't see Portland resigning Norm without getting to the finals or shedding serious salary, maybe CJ's. They have 130 mil committed with norm coming off the books. I think not having a gigantic salary had a lot to do with giving away GTJ.

Another good point. We should keep in mind that the Blazers were owned by one of the richest men in the world with a passion for Ball. Since his passing there have been rumours that the team would be for sale. It will be easier to justify letting Norm walk, than letting a 22 year old RFA go.

[Jtoneller1]

To see GTJ play and think that he is a bench player is crazy. To see him play for a team that is starving for an offensive player of his caliber and think he shouldn't be the starting 2 is even crazier.

What kills me the most is how a 22 year old that is consistently, with Portland and Raps, scoring in double digits all year long and able to do it at the rim, in the midrange, beyond the arc at 40%, with tear drops, pull ups, fade aways, finger rolls, and basic layups, off the dribble, off the catch, off screens, off pick and rolls, and still think some rookie named Cade/suggs/green/x y and z great hope is ahead of him without having played a game.

mic drop, lock the thread. Any other answer is so wrong there's no point in even discussing it. Dude's been on the team for 2 weeks and it isn't a stretch to say he's one of our top 3 players lol

I have to disagree.
Trent is a very good starter, but definitely not next to VanVleet.

Trent only has 10% at rim attempts, meaning he is a jump shooter and not necessarily gets to the rim at will. Meaning if his shot does not fall, he won't get his scoring from other aspects:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/trentga02.html#all_shooting

I would agree that he is a very good player next to a PG who can create for himself and others, but we lack that player. Even we have that player (eg. from draft), we are not having VanVleet comes off the bench.

This was my point. I have no doubt he is a starter but does he fit long term beside Fred, OG, and Skillz skill set wise?

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[youngRAPZ]

mic drop, lock the thread. Any other answer is so wrong there's no point in even discussing it. Dude's been on the team for 2 weeks and it isn't a stretch to say he's one of our top 3 players lol

I have to disagree.
Trent is a very good starter, but definitely not next to VanVleet.

Trent only has 10% at rim attempts, meaning he is a jump shooter and not necessarily gets to the rim at will. Meaning if his shot does not fall, he won't get his scoring from other aspects:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/trentga02.html#all_shooting

I would agree that he is a very good player next to a PG who can create for himself and others, but we lack that player. Even we have that player (eg. from draft), we are not having VanVleet comes off the bench.

This was my point. I have no doubt he is a starter but does he fit long term beside Fred, OG, and Skillz skill set wise?

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Honestly I don’t even know why this is a debate. As of right now he is the starting 2 of the future. There is no one else to stake that claim. If we draft a rookie guard chances are he will be coming off the bench in the beginning, and if he lights it up and Nurse decides to start him over Trent then that’s a good problem to have. I don’t understand why everyone gotta have one stance. Just because Trent is not a starter doesn’t mean he can’t be an important piece off the bench.


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[right between the eyes]

Trent Jr is not going to re-sign here.

He will hold out and make management do a sign and trade somewhere else.

You don't leave a team that was in the playoff hunt to go to a team that is not going to make the playoffs for the next 10 years and think about staying.

He has no commitment to this team in the offseason.

You clearly needed some attention when you posted this idiotic post..one of the dumbest posts I've read in a while..smh

[cbosh4mvp]

Lol, 6/7 man?

This guy just hit a game winner, dropped 44 points, plays elite perimeter defence and is always zoned in.

If you think he is going to the bench, you are wildly mistaken. The raptors are all in on GTJ.

However, it is a concern as far as what the starting lineup will be moving forward. Someone will have to make a sacrifice. Next year I see Lowry off of the roster so FVV can take over PG:

FVV
GTJ
OG
Siakam
???

We need a stretch 5, someone like Joel Embiid/KAT/Jokic and this team becomes a contender. I think Masai will go for Embiid.

[PT416]

I was under the impression that Powell could only be resigned with the cap space as an UFA, and Trent can be signed as a RFA after we use the cap space on our UFA. Is that the case?

If so what the hell is this article saying?
https://raptorsrapture.com/2021/04/12/toronto-raptors-gary-trent-jr-financial-issue/

[Spida888]

I was under the impression that Powell could only be resigned with the cap space as an UFA, and Trent can be signed as a RFA after we use the cap space on our UFA. Is that the case?

If so what the hell is this article saying?
https://raptorsrapture.com/2021/04/12/toronto-raptors-gary-trent-jr-financial-issue/

We have Trent's full bird rights, so we can go over the cap to re-sign him.

The caveat that I think the article is suggesting is that if another team offers him a big contract say 20M+, then we have about 2 days to match that offer.

If we match that offer right away, then I think we lose most of our cap space. So ideally, if we intended to use our cap space on other free agents, we'd renounce Kyle's contract and sign the target free agent first with cap space. Then match Trent's offer, going over the cap using his bird rights.

That's my understanding anyways. People with more cap expertise can chime in.

[Ackshun]

I have to disagree.
Trent is a very good starter, but definitely not next to VanVleet.

Trent only has 10% at rim attempts, meaning he is a jump shooter and not necessarily gets to the rim at will. Meaning if his shot does not fall, he won't get his scoring from other aspects:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/trentga02.html#all_shooting

I would agree that he is a very good player next to a PG who can create for himself and others, but we lack that player. Even we have that player (eg. from draft), we are not having VanVleet comes off the bench.

You've misread those stats. If you want to take it as a stat for dribble penetration, layup/dunk, then you should add it up to 10feet, which is basically the paint. That makes it 20%. But I also agree that his dribble penetration to the rim through traffic is probably the weakest part of his game. He also doesn't post up against defenders but 99% of guards in the NBA don't do that anymore.
Creating for himself isn't all about getting to the rim. The man creates space and gets his shot off. He also knows when and how to get a good simple look. He has better understanding of slowing down the game to get a bucket than FVV. And I'm not sure why you think FVV playing beside him matters so much for his game.

I never said he cannot create for himself, and again, he is a very good starter, just not next to VanVleet.

The reason he is not a good fit, because VanVleet is not someone who can draw multiple defenders and make use of Trent type of sharp shooter, so I don't see them the best fit next to each other. Neither Trent has a high assist rate to make use of VanVleet shooting.

As for Trent's offense, he is clearly a jump shooter.
https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629018/shots-dash/
33.6% Catch and Shoot
47.3% Pull Ups
18.6% Less than 10 feet

80% are shooting

I'm his defense, he did admit his imposed limitations while playing for Portland.

I would guess those numbers are looking a bit different over the past 2 weeks. I think