On March 12, Beijing time, the Raptors ushered in the challenge of the first sun in the league, but considering the injury of the opponent's number one organization core Paul, the Raptors who ushered in the outbreak in the middle of the season were not afraid, and they achieved a 6-point lead in the first quarter, even if the tenacious Suns have been clinging to the score since then, but the Raptors have finally laughed at the end with a 117-112 three-point shooting rate of up to 43.8%.
The biggest contributor to the Raptors' victory in this campaign is by no means Gary Trent Jr., he started the game for 40 minutes, shot 13 of 21, 8 of 11 three-pointers, 42 points and 8 rebounds, and the team's high +20 plus-minus, especially in the final quarter of the decider stage, he withstood the pressure, 4 free throws, so that the Raptors finally won the victory steadily. In an interview with the media after the game, Gary Trent Jr. also deliberately "Versailles": "I don't think I'm a pitcher, I think I'm a scorer, not just a shooter." In fact, trent Jr. rained three points in today's game is no accident, as early as February 1, when the Raptors challenged the Hawks on the road, he scored 9 of 15 from outside the three-point line, cutting 31 points to help the team win.
As the current Raptors after Siakam, VanVleet's third scorer, Little Trent really let the Raptors bet on the treasure, last season because of the problem of facing the renewal of Norman Powell, so before the trade deadline, the Raptors and the Blazers reached a deal, the Raptors sent Powell to the Blazers, thus getting Trent Jr. and Hood, and at that time, the Blazers ushered in the outbreak of the Little Trent, after coming to a new environment, there was no situation of any dissatisfaction, Instead, it continues to exert its super firepower on the outside, averaging 16.2 points per game.
After the end of the season, the Raptors also issued a 3-year, 52 million contract extension, allowing him to continue to stay in Toronto, and this season ushered in the fourth year of his career Trent, thanks to the Raptors' serious injuries at the beginning of the season, he also became the team's thigh, in the last month he had 5 consecutive games to score 30+ points, comparable to DeRozan, tied for the first place in Raptors history. In the case of the return of Siakam, Anunoby and other main players, Trent Jr. can still stably deliver double-digit points, giving the Raptors ample fire support in the three-point shots they are best at.
So far, Trent Jr. has played a total of 56 games for the team, 55 of which are starting, averaging a career-best 18.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2 assists, shooting 38.2% from three-point range, and hitting 3.1 shots per game, which is higher than the production of "three-point experts" such as Duncan Robinson, Bain and Kennard. This season, the Raptors' three-point shooting rate ranks 13th in the league with 35.3%, which can only be said to be decent, and a large part of this is supported by Trent Jr., after all, VanVleet, the team's highest three-point shooting rate, is only 39.6%, and the main players such as Siakam and Barnes can't even reach the 35% accuracy.
I don't know how the Blazers currently look at the potential stocks they have given up and are now playing a quasi-All-Star in the Raptors, how they feel, but when Lillard and CJ are injured this year, the team must have the firepower support of Little Trent, and it will not be defeated, and such a large-scale purge will be carried out after that.