Houston Rockets: 3 young free agents that fit their timeline
By Nick Swanson
Houston Rockets free-agent target No. 1: Gary Trent Jr. – SG/SF
Over the last year and a half of basketball we have not seen a player explode onto the scene like how Gary Trent Jr. has.
He has already shown that he’s a borderline elite level scorer who isn’t limited offensively. His ability to blow by a defender and get to the basket has rapidly improved since getting meaningful minutes with the Portland Trail Blazers. Trent has always had a consistent jump shot and has begun to utilize his mid-range shot more this past season.
The bulk of his game comes from behind the arc however. A whopping 54.6 percent of his shots are threes and that’s after taking a step back offensively in Toronto. While in Portland, he was shooting 58.2 percent of his shots from beyond the arc which is close to Stephen Curry numbers.
Trent’s explosive offense is what the Rockets so desperately need whether it’s in the starting lineup or as the spark plug off the bench. While not a great defender, he’s serviceable if you absolutely have to have him step up. He hasn’t had much experience running the point at the NBA level and has been more of prototypical wing player whether that’s running the two guard or the three.
With Stephen Silas at the helm, the future looks bright for what the Rockets have. While still in no place compete next season, the addition of Trent makes Houston’s future even brighter and continues them further along the path to winning a title within the next ten years with player development.