Gary Trent Jr. Talks 6th Man Role & Changes to His Offense
If you injected Gary Trent Jr. with truth serum, he’d probably tell you this isn’t how he envisioned his contract year going.
The 24-year-old Toronto Raptors guard had been transparent in his season-ending media availability last year, making it clear he wanted to be a starter in the NBA with lofty goals for himself. It’s why he seemed destined to find a home elsewhere when the offseason began. But a surprise decision to opt into his contract has kept him with Toronto in what appears to be an increasingly familiar spot as the Raptors’ sixth man.
For now, nothing is officially official. There have been no conversations between Trent and new head coach Darko Rajaković about taking on a role as the team’s top bench option. Those, Rajaković said, will come when preseason is over, and decisions are officially made. But Trent has come off the bench in Toronto’s first two preseason games and has spent much of practice working with the second unit.
“It’s going to be what it's going to be,” Trent said Monday following practice. “The writing's on the wall.”
That’s always been Trent’s approach whenever he’s seen his spot in the rotation moved around. He’s been a pro about everything, rising to the challenge no matter what his coach has asked.
“Obviously you work to start in the league and start for a team and help the team as much as you can, but, again, I have no control over that,” Trent added. “I can only control me coming in, working, being a great teammate, and contribute to winning. That's all I can help with. That's all I can do.”
This time, though, it’s not just Trent’s role in the rotation that’s changing. The Raptors are asking him — as with everyone — to change the way the offense looks. They want Trent to cut down on his pull-ups, limit mid-range jumpers, dribble less, and make more passes.
For most of Toronto’s roster, that shouldn’t be too difficult. For Trent, though, that’s been his bread and butter. He’s a dribble, jab step, step-back, shake-and-bake kind of scorer who took more mid-range shots than anyone on the team other than Pascal Siakam. That’s not to mention his 1.6 assists per game ranked among the fewest for guards of in his role.
Early returns, however, suggest Trent is willing to change. Just two of his 20 shots this preseason have been non-paint twos.
“He’s (a) very high IQ player, like he understands the spacing on the floor, he understands the flow that we want to play,” Rajaković said of Trent. “He's very impressive with the way he's accepting everything that we’re teaching.”
For Trent, the changes to the offense have been exciting and relatively easy, which is, after all, the goal to make both his offense and that of the team easier this season. He sees it as the type of attack that should benefit his playstyle, complementing his game more so than altering it in any detrimental way.
“We’ve been moving a little bit more. It’s going side to side. Not as many post-ups as we had in the last year or two,” said Trent. “It’s not just a dribble down, look, look, look, and throw it. Everybody gets a feel for it. Everybody touches it to eventually get it there.”
The business side of basketball isn’t going to be lost on Trent, or his representatives at Klutch Sports. Even with virtually identical stat lines, starters get paid more than bench players. But the Raptors have prided themselves on being an organization that takes care of their guys and so far, Trent has shown he’s willing to adapt and conform to Toronto’s system. Even if it’s not what he envisioned ahead of next summer, the Raptors should reward him for that.
