Grade The Pick: Gary Trent Jr. (37th Overall)

Dude, give it up man... you think you are a better scout than all the professionals on the Blazers payroll. Trent Jr was a 2nd rd pick... you act like they passed on a garaunteed star to take him... it’s kinda funny how you think your opinion of draftees is fact

 

So you spun him not being able to do anything with the ball or attack the rim into a positive because that makes him a "team guy"? Haha. Guys can play within a system and be a team player while still possessing the ability to attack which keeps defenses off balance.

 

I watched him play as well and was really impressed... I don’t think Bones actually watches games... he just rates players on useless advanced stats and measurements as the end all be all

 

You think you're a better GM than Neil Olshey.

It's kinda funny how you think your opinion of moves Olshey should make is fact.

This was a hypocritical post haha. Scouts aren't flawless, just like Olshey isn't. You know that.

 

which is why I gave him an A-
Pelton called him the best shooter in the draft. Those guys are usually stick thin white dudes
with no athleticism. He's not, He's got a good body. He's aggressive. He's got a lot of intangibles.
Very hard worker, wants to be great. Has more to show. Limited his game at Duke because
he was surrounded by lotto talent, so that's what the coach asked him to do.

 

I like him...deal with it...I watched him play.....you can go ahead and knock him and say what he can't do all day....I don't agree. He has a lot to learn and I think he'll be a quick study...you went to great lengths to make him seem like a one trick pony....that's on you.

 

If you're going to try to pose an argument, bring substance instead of making false accusations of me "not watching games".

I watched Duke a lot. Trent was merely a shooter that didn't stand out in any other way, who's defensive deficiencies were hid within the zone defense they played. What advanced stat have I brought to an argument about a college prospect? I never have... And measurements aren't the end all, be all... I've posted a lot about his game and skills (or lack thereof).

 

It's okay to like him, and I hope your right. Honest questions: Do you think he can play PG? Do you think his short standing reach makes it troublesome for him to play SF? Do you not have worries about his defensive ability? Those are my question marks for him.

 

nah...that's not my way...I posted an opinion and questioned your take on him from my own eye test...you're entitled to that opinion ..as I said, I didn't see what you criticized in detail.

 

He’s 19 years old and you have already concluded who he will be as a finished product... hilarious

And Khiri Thomas is garbage and will be out of the league in 3 years

 

I think he'll adapt his skills to become a productive NBA player....pretty simple

 

What's wrong with his dad?

 

I think he'll be a 2 guard and a small ball 3 at times

 

Again, a blanket statement that misconstrues and doesn't address any point I'm trying to make.

His standing reach is a finished product.... Unless he grows, which would change my tune on him.

His reach limits his positional versatility. His lateral quickness and defensive feel (which are insanely hard to improve) combined with his reach make it unlikely that he'll ever be an average defender.

Are those not concerns of yours? I don't understand why we can't discuss those as question marks... You like the pick, so why don't you think those are going to be problems? I actually want to hear what you have to say instead of you making blanket statements that misconstrue me.

 

I think he could be productive, I just think his weaknesses and lack of positional versatility don't mesh well with the weaknesses our backcourt already has (including who we drafted at 24).

It's as much fit as it is talent.

 

You talk about his defense like he’s a liability and will never get better. He’s a year removed from high school and played zone his lone year of college. When was he supposed to develop his on ball skills exactly? 19 year olds that come into the league advanced defensively are a rarity. That’s what makes someone like Collins special.

Trent also isn’t that bad of an athlete. Let’s say his vert was rigged. Ok whatever. He still had the 5th or 6th best shuttle run and was an efficient transition scorer at Duke.

 

I give it a c due it just to early to really grade the pick. But how many times last year we had players wide open in the corner and they brick the shot. Now we got a player will make the other team pay. You got remember none of our guards are great one on one defenders and we still was 8 in defense. Due to our whole team defense was good though.

 

Great post, welcome to the forums.

 

If his vert was measured as too high, it'd mean his standing reach was measured as too low, which actually would be a better thing in my opinion.

His defensive feel could get definitely better, but when you struggle as much as he did in college, it's definitely cause for concern, especially when you have a 2x Big East DPOY who's bigger (based off reach) and who shot over 40% from 3 during his career on the board.

If his lateral quickness is better than portrayed by scouts, then there's more hope for him defensively as technique is more easily taught. It's harder to determine lateral quickness when they're playing in a zone defense and don't have to cover a lot of ground.

Offense isn't a problem. He could have better ball skills than he showed because he was used as a 5th option and still scored efficiently. It's the defense that scares me because we can't afford to have another McCollum-type defender at the two and we certainly can't have that as an undersized 3 on the court at the same time as Dame and C.J. I just don't like the fit.

 

Great post until you ended with this. Crabbe is a horrible defender.