Nick Nurse speaks of a ” huge boost ” And he’s right. The Raptors coach refers to Gary Trent Jr.’s big third quarter on the Hawks’ floor. A 3-point basket two minutes from the end of the period to regain the advantage, a second thirty seconds from the end then a third, uNBAlanced at the buzzer: a perfect sequence to give his team a three-possession lead .
Author of a discreet first period, the shooter caught fire in these twelve minutes when he scored more points than the entire opposing team: 17 to 15! According to Nick Nurse, his shooter has ” paved the way forward, in relation to the called systems. And he gets so much attention that you can leave it to someone else. It’s enormous. “
To end the Hawks’ seven-game winning streak, Gary Trent Jr. put in another top performance with 31 points at 10/22 on shots. Including a superb 9/15 behind the arc (seven in the second half!), a career record for him.
“ I don’t think it’s hard to realize how hard Gary plays.”notes Pascal Siakam. “The shots he takes are super tough, but it’s a piece of cake for him. He was amazing. The idea is simply to find it, to try to find it. He plays extremely well and he really brings us a lot in attack.“
Gary Thirty Jr.
Part of the key to taking those long shots is a change in approach, especially in triggering. ” At the beginning of the summer, they asked me to improve my shooting, which was good, but to take it to the next level. The idea was to trigger a little faster. And then work, repeat the gesture. I trust my coaches and what they tell me. I am improving day by day, week by week, month by month.“
A feeling confirmed in the figures. With nearly 18 points on average, the former Blazers player is on the basis of his best career production. And after a slightly less good month of December (15 points at 40%), he is radiant in January: 21 points on average with 42% behind the 3-point line.
” He is more confident when the ball comes to him. It shows that he is ready to send “, Also notes Nick Nurse, whose shooter has just chained four games in a row to at least 30 points. The 37th choice of the 2018 Draft is in the “zone” as rarely in his career.
” The last time I was on such a pace was when I was in the G-League.”remembers the 23-year-old, who averaged 33 points there in six games in 2019. “I was sent there when I was playing for the Blazers. I was told to play without worrying about anything. That’s kind of what I’m doing right now. I don’t have to worry about anything, looking back if I miss a shot or shoot a leg.“
| Gary Trent, Jr. | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2018-19 | ORP | 15 | 7 | 32.0 | 23.8 | 42.9 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 2.7 |
| 2019-20 | ORP | 61 | 22 | 44.4 | 41.8 | 82.2 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 8.9 |
| 2020-21 * | All Teams | 58 | 31 | 40.8 | 38.5 | 78.3 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 15.3 |
| 2020-21 * | ORP | 41 | 31 | 41.4 | 39.7 | 77.3 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 15.0 |
| 2020-21 * | TOR | 17 | 32 | 39.5 | 35.5 | 80.6 | 0.4 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 16.2 |
| 2021-22 | TOR | 38 | 34 | 42.4 | 38.0 | 84.0 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 17.5 |
| Total | 171 | 26 | 41.9 | 39.0 | 79.7 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 12.3 | |
