Gary Trent Jr. headed to Portland Trail Blazers as the 37th overall pick in the second round of the draft and quickly made an impression in the Summer League in Las Vegas. Trail Blazers looked comfortable as they beat Atlanta Hawks 85 – 68 in a game that Gary Trent Jr. was not on his game in terms of shooting but made up for it with his all-round play.
Trent Jr. scored eight points during the 21 minutes he was involved, missing two three-point range shots. However, where his shooting might not have been as good as it could have been, he weighed in with some good defensive action to keep Trae Young and Jaylen Adams at bay.
Trent Jr. debuts for Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers had already impressed with a convincing win against Utah Jazz. Gary Trent Jr. made a really impressive debut after making the step up from college basketball. Anfernee Simons also put in a great performance as the Trail Blazers beat Jazz 93-78.
Blazers start Summer League with two good wins
Trent’s nine free throw attempts showed that he is transitioning well already and could turn out to be a great signing for the Portland team. He impressed plenty of people with his ability to switch positions when the lineups shifted and showed that there is more to his game than just being an all-out shooter.
The Summer League promises to be exciting this year with all 30 teams participating for the first time ever. This means there will be 82 games in total, which is great for all of the basketball fans out there! It gives fans the chance to see where the new players will fit in and whether they are likely to make an immediate impact and be players for the future. Trent Jr. looks like he will definitely be one that can make an instant impact in the NBA, especially when his shooting improves.