Gary Trent Sr. has revealed that Damian Lillard’s departure could see some welcome changes for the Milwaukee Bucks.
His son Gary Trent Jr. averaged 11.1 PPG, while shooting 41.6% from three-point range for the Milwaukee Bucks.
He also had an impressive performance in the Bucks’ only playoff win over the Indiana Pacers, where he scored 37 points.
Trent Jr. was not the starter for the team and was playing behind Damian Lillard, but the team’s lack of options in the point guard spot could lead to him having an extended role next season.
He was signed on a two-year $7.5 million deal, which according to his dad is something that he can keep building up on after putting in good performances.
Photo by John Fisher/Getty ImagesGary Trent Jr.’s dad thinks Bucks could be better without Damian Lillard
With Lillard’s exit, Trent Jr.’s return was imminent as they needed known faces in the locker room.
Since Trent Jr. has moved to the Bucks, he has been on a minimum deal, but his dad, who has played in the NBA, stated that playing time was prioritized when deciding if he wanted to return to Milwaukee.
Photo by Amanda Loman/Getty Images
He said: “It was all about usage rate. You know, what is the usage rate gonna be? What is the opportunity gonna be? Okay, you can slide over here for a couple dollars more, but what’s your usage rate, and what’s your opportunity gonna be? You know what I’m saying?
“Like here, you still got a chance to keep running it up. You still got a chance to keep growing and keep developing. And Giannis is still young. He’s still in his prime… he probably gonna come back again and make First Team.”
The Bucks made a big decision of waiving Lillard to accommodate Myles Turner’s contract.
Trent Sr. revealed that with Lillard now gone, the dynamics will change and this could lead to the ball being distributed evenly among other players.
“The front office, the staff, is ready to embrace you differently.
“Last year, they were still figuring you out in the beginning, he didn’t touch the ball for the first six or seven minutes, and then when you get the ball, it’s like you got you damn near gotta make this shot.” Trent Jr. said. ” Or after seven minutes of not having the ball, I’m about to take a shot, and now you probably gonna do something off balance, some wacky and that’s how you average in that 25 percent.
“Once the scoring distribution started becoming better, everybody, the team started becoming better, because they were very top heavy with Dame.”
Trent Jr. will have to step up for the Bucks
The Bucks are going into the next season with a lot of question marks about their roster, especially in the backcourt.
They waived Lillard, who was recovering from an Achilles injury, but have not made any significant signings to replace him.
Trent Jr. will certainly be one of the players who will be in the backcourt, but he is not a point guard and may not be able to make plays for the team.
While he is not a solution, Trent Jr. will have to step up on his scoring to fill the void left by Lillard.
SeasonPointsThree-Point shooting2024-2511.141.6%2023-2413.739.3%2022-2317.436.9%2021-2218.338.3%2020-2115.338.5%
The nine-time All-Star could score 30 on any given night and be clutch for the Bucks.
Trent Jr. has never been a volume scorer in his career, but a lot will be expected from him next season now that Lillard is not with the Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo will likely operate a lot as a point forward next season and it will be interesting to see how things work out with the ball in his hands.
He has played this role well in the past, but only time will tell if Antetokounmpo can play as a primary playmaker for an entire season.