To ask who is the hottest player in recent times, the Raptors' Gary Trent Jr. is not the loudest name, but it is certainly not a wrong choice. After scoring 30+ in five consecutive games, Trent Jr. has declared his presence strongly. And to be able to complete the counterattack of the second round of the show, Little Trent should thank his father, who was an NBA player, and he also sang a song "In the Name of the Father" for this.
A week after his 23rd birthday, Little Trent began to erupt. In today's Raptors home win over the Heat 110-106, Trent Jr. started 41 minutes and shot 11 of 20, including 6 of 10 three-pointers and 5-of-8 free throws, a game-high 33 points, a tie-season scoring record. Coincidentally, the last time he scored 33 points in a single game, the opponent was still the Heat, and it was at the end of January.
As a result, Trent Jr. also scored 30+ in five consecutive games, equaling the Raptors record held by DeRozan. In addition, he can also hit a three-pointer every game. Needless to say, it's a record that only Curry, Harden and Lillard have created before.
In addition, before this game, Trent Jr. averaged 17.8 points per game this season, shooting an overall rate of 42.5%, shooting 39% from three-point range, scoring per game, efficiency and winning contribution value per 48 minutes all set career highs, and both shooting percentages and true shooting rate (54.9%) were the second highest in their careers. He's playing his career best, and he can't see a ceiling yet, so it's not an exaggeration to say.
It is hard to imagine that the little Trent, who behaved in this way, was originally selected in the second round. In the second round of 2018, which gave birth to young talents such as Jaylen Brunson, Derwent Graham, Mitchell Robinson, Bruce Brown, Hamidu Diallo and other young talents, Trent Jr. was not inferior.
On January 18, 1999, Trent Jr. was born in Columbus, Ohio. His father, Gary Trent Sr., was from Ohio University, and at 2.03 meters tall and weighed 113 kilograms, he was once known as the "O'Neal of the MAC Division." He has been named MAC Player of the Year three times, named best in the division three times, and his no. 20 jersey has retired from Ohio University.
In the 1995 draft, the elder Trent was selected by the Bucks with the 11th pick in the first round and was immediately replaced by the Blazers. Since then, he has also worked with the Raptors, Lone Rangers and Timberwolves. In 506 games in the NBA, the elder Trent failed to recreate the glory of the NCAA era, averaging 8.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, shooting 50.1%. After leaving the NBA, the elder Trent also traveled to The Greek and Italian leagues to pan for gold.
Trent the Elder and his wife Roxanne had four sons, with Trent the Younger being the youngest. The family background also made little Trent associate with basketball very early. In his early years, Little Trent attended Apple Valley High School in Minnesota. By his sophomore season, he averaged 21.5 points per game, and in his senior year, he rose to 26.4 points and 5.8 rebounds, and was named Minnesota's Player of the Year, was named the state's Best Team, and the best high school junior in the United States.
Before his senior season arrived, Trent Jr. decided to transfer to Prolific Preparatory High School in Napa, California. Here he averaged 31.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, led the team to a 29-3 loss, and was invited to participate in the Jordan Brand Classic and the McDonald's All-American Star Game. Subsequently, he was named a five-star high school student, ranked 8th among the class of 2017 and top among the number two players.
With such a brilliant high school resume, Little Trent naturally had a good relationship with a prestigious school, so he chose Duke. In his freshman year, he hit six three-pointers in one game, setting a new Duke record. On January 15, 2018, in a match against the University of Miami, Trent Jr. scored a career-high single-game 30 points to lead the team to a reversal. On March 9 of the same year, trent jr. had 20 points and six rebounds against old rival North Carolina. In Duke this season, Trent Jr. averaged 14.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from three-point range.
At the 2018 NCAA Championship, Trent Jr. led Duke to the Elite Quarterfinals and subsequently announced his participation in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Duke teammates who ran with him included Marvin Bagley, Wendell Carter Jr., and the recently famous Grayson Allen, all of whom have found their place in the league today.
Like his father, Trent Jr. was sent to the Blazers by the Kings on draft night, and the NBA career of the father and son began in Portland. When he first arrived, Trent Jr., as a second-round show, inevitably had to run between the NBA and the development league. He played 15 games in the rookie season, averaging just 2.7 points per game. But by the second season, Trent Jr. played in 61 games, averaging 8.9 points per game and eight starts, showing that he had a foothold in the NBA.
In the same year, Trent Jr. also became one of the heroes of the Blazers. In eight games, he averaged 16.9 points per game, shooting a staggering 50.7 percent from three-point range. Lillard joked at the time that every time he saw Trent Jr. shoot, he felt that he could hit 100% of the shots. He was also once hailed as the top scorer during the rematch.
In the 2020-21 season, Trent Jr. played 58 games, averaging 15.3 points per game, and the counterattack of the second round of the show was completed. In the middle of the season, the Blazers brought in Norman Powell from the Raptors trade, and Trent Jr. was one of the chips. It's also very much like old Trent. That year, he was also sent to the Raptors in the middle of the third season with the Blazers.
On April 11, 2021, Trent Jr. ushered in the best match of his career. In the Raptors' 135-115 victory over the Cavaliers, he started 33 minutes and made 17-of-19, including 7-of-9 three-pointers, 3-of-3 from the free throw line, and blasted down 44 points, seven rebounds and four assists. To this day, 44 points is still the highest single-game score in Trent Jr.'s career.
In Trent Jr.'s NBA career so far, the figure of the old Trent flashed from time to time. In fact, for a former NBA player to be a father, most of the "star two generation" is quite annoying. They always repeatedly emphasize that their ascension to the throne depends on effort rather than relationship, the so-called "do not do XXX second, only do the first self" cloud.
But Little Trent was different. He confessed that he "seemed to be cheating," but his father gave him everything he needed to keep him up to date with the lives of NBA players on and off the court. As a second-round show, he was able to adapt to the league so quickly, and his father was indispensable.
Off the field, Trent Jr. was known for his fashion-forward outfits, and his failed-draft teammate VanVleet even called him a "rock star." In the future, if you find that little Tete is launching an all-star attack, please don't be surprised. (Supine Braces/Hairy)