Gary Trent Jr. gave Blazers fans a nice first look at what he could do in Portland’s 2018 Summer League opener against the Utah Jazz. The rookie came off the bench and scored 16 points in a 93–78 win on July 7 in Las Vegas.
He had a great second half. My reaction at the time? He looks like he can straight-up play! Check out his highlights below.
Gary Trent Jr.’s Summer League debut
Trent finished with 16 points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal in just under 18 minutes. He shot 3-for-7 from the field and made all nine of his free throws. Not a bad way to get started!
Portland had acquired Trent on draft night after Sacramento selected him 37th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. Coming off one season at Duke, he joined a Summer League team that also featured another new Blazer, Anfernee Simons.
Simons had a solid debut of his own, scoring 11 points against Utah. You can watch his plays in my Anfernee Simons Summer League highlights.
Looking back at Trent’s time in Portland
It’s fun to look back at these early highlights knowing what came next. Trent developed into a productive scorer for the Blazers, averaging 15 points per game in Portland during the 2020–21 season before the trade deadline.
In March 2021, Portland traded Trent and Rodney Hood to the Toronto Raptors for Norman Powell. But this video takes us back to the beginning, when we were getting our first look at Gary Trent Jr. in a Blazers uniform.
Want to see more from that night? Check out the Blazers vs. Jazz full game highlights, too.