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NBA Draft: Could Gary Trent Jr. be a knockdown shooter for the Bucks?

By Jordan Treske

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 15: NBA Draft Prospect, Gary Trent Jr. poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Combine circuit on May 15, 2018 at the Intercontinental Hotel Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 15: NBA Draft Prospect, Gary Trent Jr. poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Combine circuit on May 15, 2018 at the Intercontinental Hotel Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO – MAY 15: (Photo by Randy Belice/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHICAGO – MAY 15: (Photo by Randy Belice/NBAE via Getty Images) /

What the experts say

(as of 6/14/18)

ESPN (Jonathan Givony): 42nd

The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor, Jonathan Tjarks, Danny Chau): 42nd

Sports Illustrated (Jeremy Woo): 41st

Sporting News (Chris Stone): N/A

The Athletic (Sam Vecenie): 35th

The Stepien (Composite Rank): 46th, Tier 7

The Step Back (Brandon Kleen): 30th

Quotes:

The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie surmises that Trent is worth selecting in the second round in this year’s draft, considering his skilled shooting as well as the athletic and defensive limitations that stand out in his game:

"“Trent is an absolutely terrific shooter who could legitimately grow into an elite one off the catch with some development. He hits shots coming off of screens, in spot-up situations, off of handoffs. His mechanics are terrific, his footwork is elite and his balance is perfect. But the problem is that he just has no giddy-up athletically. He really struggles to get separation from defenders off the bounce and doesn’t have a great sense of shot selection in those cases. His lack of ability to finish around the basket was apparent this year, as he only hit 42.5 percent of his shots around the basket in the half court. And that’s before we get to the defensive side, where his inability to stay in front of folks was among the reasons Duke had to shift to a zone defense. The shooting ability and size at his age alone makes him a worthy gamble in the second round, but it’s tough to see much more than that for him, given the other deficiencies of his game currently.”"

Similarly bringing up his overall skill package and his athletic and defensive concerns, Jeremy Woo over at Sports Illustrated offers a little more optimism over Trent’s NBA projections as he stands on the younger side at 19 years old:

"“Cast into a supporting role on a team otherwise devoid of wings, Trent did a nice job fitting in and finished as one of the top three-point specialists in the country. Working mostly in spot-ups, spacing the floor and running in transition, Trent has projectable jumper mechanics and a solid feel for what was asked of him. It may end up being his NBA fate as well, given he’s not wildly athletic which could limit his ability to create his shot and more importantly, defend at the next level. He has more ability than he was able to show at Duke, and may still be able to progress into a capable supporting scorer in a league where you can never have too many shooters. Trent played fairly well at the combine and is still young enough to warrant development time on someone’s bench.”"

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