First impressions do last and it looks like Gary Trent Jr. is leaving quite an imprint on Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse.
Shortly after the Raptors' 53-point demolition of the Golden State Warriors at Amalie Arena on Friday, 130-77, Nurse had nothing but praises for Trent's two-way potential.
According to the NBA champion coach, he is intrigued by the 22-year-old swingman's high ceiling and perhaps bright future in Canada (via Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun).
Nick Nurse said he sees "a lot of ceiling" to Gary Trent's offensive game. Also says intrigued by his defensive potential too. Nurse also joked he told Andrew Wiggins to "knock it off" after early barrage.
— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) April 3, 2021
Nurse, who also is also the head coach of the Canadian national team, also quipped that he messed with Dubs forward Andrew Wiggins during the match.
Perhaps inspired by playing his hometown team, Wiggins scorched hot in the first period but somehow cooled off in the end and finished with just 15 points. Trent's terrific on-ball defense against Wig definitely had a lot to with that.
The former Duke standout finished with 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field and 6-of-9 from downtown, along with five boards, one assist, one steal, and two rejections in 30 minutes.
Trent is also coming off a career-high 31 points in their previous outing versus the Oklahoma City Thunder.
A second-round pick in the 2008 draft, Trent came over from the Portland Trail Blazers in the deadline as part of that Norman Powell trade.
Powell, of course, has been fitting in nicely with Rip City and it seems Trent is doing just the same in his new team.
Trent will be a sought-after restricted free agent this season, and it might be wise for Toronto to bring him back if he continues to impress Nick Nurse.
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