Future Watch: Gary Trent Jr. Basketball Cards, Portland Trail Blazers – Gary Trent Jr began his NBA career in a Portland jersey, just like his father in the 1990s; but while Gary Trent Sr. earned a designation as the “Shaq of the MAC,” dominating at Ohio University like few in the history of the Mid-American Conference, opportunities for similar success in the NBA were fleeting. Any fears that Junior might end up on the same path, with his best days in college, began to fade just over a year ago, building into breakout performances first in the Orlando bubble and again this season.
Fittingly born in 1999 during his father’s finest all-around pro season, Trent was not destined to follow in the power forward footsteps, instead developing his game as a tough-minded, good-shooting wing. Coached by his father throughout his youth, he was a highly-anticipated recruit at Duke, but failed to match his father’s lottery-pick status, tumbling to the second round in 2018.
Struggling well into his second season to get any traction in the rotation, Trent’s 30-point breakout against Oklahoma City on January 18, 2020 opened enough eyes to stabilize his minutes. You can see his effort throughout this highlight package from the game:
Improvement has continued in a relatively straight line for Trent this season, notching double figures in 15 consecutive games down the stretch in the first half. Trent’s minutes rose from 21.8 per game in 2019-2020 to 31.2 through the All-Star break this year and the points per game have followed accordingly, from 8.9 to 15.2. Unexpectedly thrust into a starting role with CJ McCollum’s injury, Trent has kept his three-point percentage above the magic 40% rate for the second straight season and maintained the tenacious defense that he learned from his father.
With Portland’s cap issues and a roster just shy of the big boys the past few seasons, the need for improvement from within has been apparent and has presented opportunities such as the one that Trent has seized. Trent’s increased consistency marks him as a star on the rise for a franchise that really needs it.
While collectors eagerly await his first cardboard of 2020-21, there are plenty of Gary Trent Jr. rookie cards to choose from amid 2018-19 products, while other cards can be found in 2019-20 Certified.
Future Watch: Gary Trent Jr. Basketball Cards, Portland Trail Blazers – Stats
| Season | Age | Tm | Lg | Pos | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 20 | POR | NBA | SG | 15 | 1 | 7.4 | 1.1 | 3.3 | .320 | 0.3 | 1.4 | .238 | 0.7 | 1.9 | .379 | .370 | 0.2 | 0.5 | .429 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 2.7 |
| 2019-20 | 21 | POR | NBA | SF | 61 | 8 | 21.8 | 3.2 | 7.2 | .444 | 1.8 | 4.4 | .418 | 1.4 | 2.8 | .486 | .571 | 0.6 | 0.7 | .822 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 8.9 |
| 2020-21 | 22 | POR | NBA | SG | 33 | 20 | 31.2 | 5.5 | 13.1 | .423 | 3.1 | 7.5 | .406 | 2.5 | 5.6 | .446 | .539 | 1.1 | 1.4 | .778 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 15.2 |
| Career | NBA | 109 | 29 | 22.7 | 3.6 | 8.5 | .427 | 2.0 | 4.9 | .405 | 1.6 | 3.5 | .459 | .545 | 0.7 | 0.9 | .773 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 9.9 |
Future Watch: Gary Trent Jr. Basketball Cards, Portland Trail Blazers – Other Resources
- Gary Trent Jr. NBA.com Player Profile
- Gary Trent Jr. Basketball Cards – Secondary Market Pricing
- Beckett Card Catalog – Gary Trent Jr. Basketball Cards
Future Watch: Gary Trent Jr. Basketball Cards – Image Gallery
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