Hard Work & a Conversation With Nick Nurse Has Turned Gary Trent Jr. into a Two-Way Difference-Maker

The Toronto Raptors have seen Gary Trent Jr. blossom into a two-way threat thanks to hard work and a conversation he had with Nick Nurse in Las Vegas

Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

If the Gary Trent Jr. for Norman Powell trade was going to work out, the Toronto Raptors knew it was going to require a serious conversation with their new shooting guard.

It wasn't a conversation that needed to be had immediately. The Raptors were heading toward their worst season in a decade and weren't particularly interested in winning games. They let Trent do his thing, taking and making tough pull-up jumpers and playing loose on defense.

Trent certainly put up some big numbers, eclipsing the 40-point mark for the first time in his career in a 20-point win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. But his inefficient 39.5% shooting and lackluster defense left a lot to be desired.

That had to change.

It's why Raptors coach Nick Nurse pulled him aside during a workout down in Las Vegas during Summer League back in August to stress the importance of playing both sides of the ball.

“We were just sitting on the side talking. I said, ‘This is how we do it. This is what we’re gonna do.’ And he kind of said, ‘You (want me) to do all that and score, as well,’" Nurse recalled. "I said, ‘Yeah. We want you to play that hard and still score.’"

Trent seemed perplexed by the idea.

"'That’s a lot of work, man,’" Nurse recalled Trent saying.

"I said, ‘Yeah it is, man.’"

That two-way assertiveness has been Toronto's calling card under Nurse. He believes that high-energy, hard-nosed defense translates into improved offense at the other end. It's why Toronto's roster is full of versatile players and part of the reason the Raptors were so willing to move on from Powell whose defense never quite fit right with Nurse's philosophy.

Well, if the first half of the season is any indication of how the conversation went, Nurse's message was heard loud and clear. Trent's defense has taken a massive step forward this year. His 1.9 steals per game are the eighth most in the NBA and his 3.4 deflections per game rank fifth most this season.

As Nurse acknowledged Monday, things have gone better than the Raptors could have ever envisioned.

"This guy can play defense," Nurse said. "It all comes from his competitive nature. He's feisty and fighting out there and knocking the ball away and just competing. And that was probably what he just needed to throw it up a gear. He certainly competes at the offensive end. He's got the ball in his hands. He's searching hard and using a lot of energy and we just need him to do it at both ends."

Earlier in the season, Birch joked about how far Trent's defense has come this year.

"Gary is one of the best players I've ever seen like, no offense, not play defense then all of the sudden become a good defender," Birch said back in November. "Like, it's just crazy. I swear, I've never seen that before."

And, as Nurse predicted, Trent's improved defense has paid off in offensive production. He's averaging more points than ever before and, thanks to some of Nurse's offensive scheming, Trent has become a far more effective three-point shooter with more catch-and-shoot opportunities than last season.

Year	Frequency	3pt %
2020-21 Raptors	23.0%	35.0%
2021-22 Raptors	30.5%	42.3%

"I figured with OG, Pascal, Scottie, we would need some spacing to just," said Nurse. "Those guys can draw the double. So yeah, I mean, it's a concerted effort by him to work on (catch-and-shoot shooting) and get better at it. He's sped up his release. He's got more confidence as the balls coming to him. You can see that he's ready to let it go."

Trent's development on both sides of the ball has turned him into a true two-way difference-maker. He's no longer a one-dimensional scorer who can take and make tough shots. Today, with a ton of hard work and some encouragement from Nurse and the Raptors, Toronto appears to be set with a two-way guard for the future.

Further Reading

Pascal Siakam & Fred VanVleet post historic Michel Jordan & Scottie Pippen-esque January

Raptors starters continue to persevere as Gary Trent Jr. leads Toronto past Hawks

Fred VanVleet says Pascal Siakam is playing at an 'All-NBA level'