Duke men's basketball 2017-18 player preview: Gary Trent Jr.

Gary Trent Jr.

• Year: Freshman
• Height: 6-foot-6
• Position: Guard

Game Breakdown: Trent comes to Duke as yet another highly touted five-star freshman recruit. The Columbus, Oh. native is a high level scorer from all three levels and someone who looks to put the ball in the basket every time he gets it. Trent has impressive physical tools and is adept at using them to either bully his way to the rim or pull up and shoot jumpers. He does not have the highest vertical, but is a score-first player who is willing to pull up from anywhere.

His defensive intensity can come and go, but when Trent is locked in he is a solid defender who has good instincts for jumping passing lanes and coming away with steals. Continuing to develop his passing will be crucial for Trent especially on this loaded Blue Devil team.

Role on the Team: Trent will likely start from day one for Duke along with three other freshmen. He will likely occupy the nominal small forward position due to his size which will allow him to guard larger players. Trent will be relied upon to provide consistent outside shooting especially with a backcourt featuring Trevon Duval and Grayson Allen, two streaky shooters. Consistently knocking down shots is Trent’s best bet to secure more playing time, but he will be an integral part of the Blue Devils’ potent offensive attack especially on kick outs and designed plays. 

NBA Comparison: Trent profiles similar to Eric Gordon albeit without some of his athleticism. Both are multi-dimensional scorers who can fill up the bucket from almost anywhere. Trent still has some work to do to get to Gordon’s level of a knockdown shooter, but considering the level of improvement he has seen over his high school career it is not out of question that he reaches that status.

Projected stats: 12.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.0 APG