Gary Trent Jr. appears to be embracing a mentor role with the Toronto Raptors.
Trent Jr. has been helping Gradey Dick adjust to life in the NBA.
According to TSN’s Josh Lewenberg, Trent Jr. says he took Dick under his wing in camp and has been showing the rookie the ropes ever since:
“He’s been super receptive. He’s asking a lot of questions”
The questions asked have ranged from on the court stuff to tattoos:
“On the court, questions about what tattoos he should get, all types of stuff.”
Trent Jr. has seen his role with the Raptors change over the course of the season. He was first pegged as the Raptors sixth-man.
Then he became a starter for the Raptors after Toronto traded both O.G. Anunoby and Pascal Siakam.
For the season Trent Jr. is averaging 12.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steal in 61 contests with the Raptors.
Trent Jr. is having a down year in terms of his points per game average, but he is shooting it 40.7 percent from three which is his best mark as a Raptor.
The 25-year-old has failed to find consistency this season.
He has had his moments like scoring 28 points in a win over the Miami Heat on Jan. 17 and he recently put up a 31-point outing against the Orlando Magic on March 15.
However, he has had many bad shooting nights and multiple single-digit scoring games.
This was deemed an important season for Trent Jr. because he is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Will the Raptors bring Trent Jr. back?
It was believed that the Raptors and Trent Jr. were working on an extension last summer but nothing materialized.
Trent Jr. will want to land himself a nice contract this offseason and it will be interesting to see if the Raptors do end up making a compelling offer to the guard.
The Raptors do have Dick who could progress and fill Trent Jr.’s role on the team as soon as next season.
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