Trent Forrest trying to shoot up the Utah Jazz’s depth chart
https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2021/08/15/trent-forrest-trying/Snips: Butler was presumed to be an upgrade over two-way signee Trent Forrest — and may well turn out to be — but the improvement that the second-year Florida State product has displayed in summer league play these past few weeks could make the hierarchy far less cut-and-dried.
He’s been confidently setting up Utah’s offense and directing traffic — a pass to open 3-point shooter here, setting up big man Udoka Azubuike for a lob there (and there … and there again), and in between, deftly probing into the paint, getting younger defenders guessing one way, then slicing through the hole for a layup at the rim.
It can be stipulated that of course he’s been doing it against lesser competition than what he faced as a regular-season fill-in this past season. But then, such dismissiveness belittles the apparent growth in both skill and confidence he is putting on display.
The 3-point elephant in the roomThere is, of course, a very simple explanation for why Forrest went undrafted a year ago despite a stellar career for the Seminoles. A clear reason why he was on a two-way contract as an NBA rookie, and will be again as a professional sophomore (the Jazz signed him to another two-way deal this past Wednesday). A straightforward rationale for why Butler was drafted to supplant him.
“Obviously, his 3-point shot is the one part of his game that he needs to work on,” said Bryan Bailey, a Jazz assistant who’s overseen the team’s summer league squads. “And he knows that.”
“The main focus for me [this offseason] has been my shooting; I’ve been working on that, and I feel like it’s gotten a lot better from the season until now,” Forrest said. “That’s still going to be a focus even after summer league. It’s been working, the things that we’ve been doing.”
And he remains keenly aware that he’s still got so much work ahead of him — especially when trying to prevent newer players from being seen as better options for minutes than him.