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

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What Grade Would You Give The 37th Pick (Gary Trent Jr.)?

  • Total voters
    55
BonesJones said:
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.
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I think he'll adapt his skills to become a productive NBA player....pretty simple
 
Rastapopoulos said:
He's not the player I wanted, and I would prefer Thomas as well, or Melton. BUT: he's fairly likely to turn into an asset somewhere down the line (as Crabbe sort of was, if we'd've traded him before he got the monster contract). The thing he has over Thomas is youth.

Also: presumably we bought the pick just to get him. So it's not really as if there was a pick sitting there. I'd probably rather we kept the TWO second rounders we gave away to get him. Grade: C.

Did NOT like his dad, though.
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What's wrong with his dad?
 
Gronk Brady said:
He’s 19 years old and you have already concluded who he will be as a finished product... hilarious
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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.
 
riverman said:
I think he'll adapt his skills to become a productive NBA player....pretty simple
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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.
 
BonesJones said:
I don't see the reason for adding a shooter that will give up more points than he scores, and hurt else in every other aspect.

He's going to have to play SF if he's going to get minutes, or we'll have to trade C.J. There's only 12mpg at the 2, and he can't play the one, and is extremely undersized for the 3 (8'2 standing reach). Hell, that's undersized for a SG. Most SGs have a standing reach of 8'3+. He's barely bigger than C.J... Simons has a bigger standing reach.

I don't think posting up a SG will be a part of our offense, nor should it. He might have a decent post-up game but the NBA is a different level, and I don't think he'll be able to bully his way into buckets like he did at the college level. He might be decent at it, but I never see it being a difference maker, or relied on much, if at all.

He doesn't have the quickness to beat defenders, nor does he have the handle to shake defenders, so how is he going to be able to create anything if he can't bully his way in?

Proof? Here's one. I've read a couple more articles somewhere saying the same thing. I bet it's due to Bagley and Carter too, point is that none of them were good defenders. Everything I've read about Trent's defense defines it between "bad" and "horrible", as he lacks lateral quickness, dies on picks, and wasn't a good team defender either within his rotations. The consensus is that he's a bad defender.

I'm not twisting anything. Slightly undersized SG who's too small to play SF and doesn't have the ball skills to play SG, awful defender, and can't do much off the dribble. He's extremely limited IMO, and a lot of the things he struggles with aren't easily improved upon and likely never will be.

Could he prove me wrong? Yes, but unlikely. At least Crabbe had decent length and wasn't a horrible defender.
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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.
 
James lamphear said:
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.
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Great post, welcome to the forums.
 
Scalma said:
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.
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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.
 
BonesJones said:
I am wondering if his standing reach got messed up (like Pat's did during his combine). Trent's vertical IMO is oversold at 39.5 inches. There's no way his vertical is within 2 inches of Simons. Pat's vertical was messed up too because they measured his standing reach too low (his was more obvious). 6'5.75 with a 6'8 wingspan? Seems like 8'2 is a little short for his standing reach.

I'd be happier with the pick if they did mess it up and he had something like a 8'5/8'6 standing reach. Means he'd be able to contest shots and play some SF.
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Really? You're really gonna say the combine people messed up on their measurements?

C'mon bones... Stop...
 
dviss1 said:
Really? You're really gonna say the combine people messed up on their measurements?

C'mon bones... Stop...
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I'm saying it's possible. His height+wingspan combination usually leads to a higher standing reach, and I dont see him as having a 39 inch vertical.. They've done it in the past with Pat.
http://www.nbadraft.net/2015-nba-draft-combine-measurements

Compare Pats measurements with Devin Bookers, DeAngelo Russell's, and other 6'5/6'6 guards with similar wingspans. It's obvious it's wrong.

Read through this.
 
BonesJones said:
I'm saying it's possible. His height+wingspan combination usually leads to a higher standing reach, and I dont see him as having a 39 inch vertical.. They've done it in the past with Pat.
http://www.nbadraft.net/2015-nba-draft-combine-measurements

Compare Pats measurements with Devin Bookers, DeAngelo Russell's, and other 6'5/6'6 guards with similar wingspans. It's obvious it's wrong.

Read through this.
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Don't you think shoulder shape/size/structure comes into play? We're not all shaped the same.
 
dviss1 said:
Don't you think shoulder shape/size/structure comes into play? We're not all shaped the same.
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Yeah, but a 5 to 6 inch difference? Seems to be a little much. Definitely questionable.
 
Some players might tank their standing reach to help they're vertical.
 
BonesJones said:
I disagree haha.
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Crabbe doesn't even give effort...

CJ just makes bad defensive decisions. Both make them bad defenders, just for different reasons. I'd take the guy that gives effort.
 
Trent Jr would snap a rookie Allan Crabbe like a tooth pick..this kid physically is NBA ready....scouts say he needs to improve two things the most in his game...his lateral speed and his first step speed....then they said he was probably the best 3 pt shooter drafted...it's no surprise we are looking for 3 pt shooters after the Pelican series....need confidence off the ball with scoring...something our best defenders lacked...both Simons and Trent are also noted as being clutch shooters...love the ball with pressure on the clock...now, it's coaching time, film sessions, playbook repetitions....weight room training ….CJ is not a great defender sure ...but he did improve as did Dame...I've no reason to think both Dame and CJ will not be able to improve even more....CJ mentioned it on a podcast once this offseason.
 
dviss1 said:
Meh, I don't buy it.

Judge Judy rule #1:

If it doesn't make sense it's not true.
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Yeah, it doesn't msn sense that Pat Connaughton is over 6'5, with a wingspan over 6'8, with a 8'0 standing reach, especislly when he registered a standing reach of 8'3.5 months before the combine.
 
There is some debate about Grayson Allen's defense, so perhaps Duke's defensive
woes shouldn't all be laid at the feet of Trent:
 
I would like to hear from Mediocre Man why he gave an "A"; I generally respect his opinions.
 
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