Gary Trent Jr. had a great year with the Milwaukee Bucks last season, and a prominent reason why was his perimeter shooting. While Trent made most of his noise as a catch-and-shoot threat, living off the gravity created by Giannis Antetokounmpo, the wing was also quietly a tremendous pull-up marksman from deep. He has to make sure that remains the case next season.
Bucks need Trent to keep knocking down his pull-up triples
Last season, Trent shot 44-of-103 (42.7 percent) on his pull-up triples. Among players to attempt at least 100 of those shots, Trent ranked second in the entire NBA behind Zach LaVine's 43.8 percent. Trent has always been a catch-and-shoot 3-point threat first, which he was last year at 41.3 percent, but if he keeps the pull-up shooting consistent on top of that, he could reach new heights.
The question is whether or not he will build off last season or regress to past numbers. During the 2023-24 NBA season, Trent, then with the Raptors, shot just 37-of-120 (30.8 percent) on said shots. The year before, he was 43-of-144 (29.9 percent). It doesn't get much better in prior years. That shot has never been in his arsenal until last year, so it's reasonable to question if it's here to stay or if last season was a blip.
Trent adding that shot to his repertoire could take his game to a new level. In fact, it could possibly even cement him as Milwaukee's second option behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. The wing can hit quick trigger shots created off passes from Giannis, but if he can also hit triples created off of the dribble, his scoring output could increase mightily. It would make him a more lethal and versatile scorer in this lineup, and the Bucks can never have too many of those.
Gary Trent Jr. will be one of the most important Bucks next season. After spending most of last year as a reserve, he should start - either at small forward or shooting guard - from day one next season. Whether he's hitting the catch-and-shoots or the pull-ups, Trent's shooting makes him the perfect fit with Giannis and the youth remodel the Bucks are embracing. All of that goes without mentioning his pesky defense.
Entering what could be the most important year of his NBA career, Trent has every reason to perform.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.