Gary Trent Jr. on Serge Ibaka's drip-game, chemistry with Pascal Siakam

Raptors guard Gary Trent Jr. discusses his chemistry with Pascal Siakam, what he's looking for while scoring against drop-bigs and Serge Ibaka's fashion expertise.

Video Transcript

- What's the two-man game like between you and Pascal right? Now you guys seem to have a pretty great dynamic on the court.

GARY TRENT JR: Man, we just out there playing, free flowing. I compliment him in the sense he compliments me his ability to drive, my ability to space to try to clear out for him. They have to respect me with the jumper so he can get loose. And they've got to respect him on the drive so that I can get open as well. That's really just about it.

I'm creating, him being the problem on the offensive end that he is, and making opportunities for myself and everybody else. So we all help each other with that.

- Gary, Brook Lopez has one of best dropbacks in the NBA. And the Raptors have had success using you against those actions, like bringing up [INAUDIBLE]. When you're coming off the screen, what are you looking for in terms of the defense and where that big gets to see what your role should be at that point?

Really just again how close and how far the big is. If he's far, obviously I'll come into a lunge or a pull-up. Hopefully it's a 3, midrange or even a floater. And if not, he's up too close, you can dish it off, get the lob. You see the help man pulled over in the gaps a little bit to match. It could be a quick dish instead of a one dribble pull-up, a quick dribble and swing to the wing for a quick 3. So it's just reading it as fast as you can as the game is going to see what's going on.

- And your stepback is-- it's been good for a long time now. But how do you utilize that in those situations when the big isn't committing necessarily but doesn't want to exactly drop in like that?

GARY TRENT JR: Exactly, yeah. So it's basically just all off feel. Once you see his feet, you see his body, his position, where his hands are at. For me, I just try to get space so I can get it up. I feel like if I get it up with a decent follow-through, I have a good opportunity for it to go in. So that's really just what I try to focus on is try to get as much space as I can with a stepback or we'll do pull-ups.

- I'm sure you've touched on this when you were traded here. But was that trade a surprise to you? What was that like leading up to that deal?

GARY TRENT JR: Leading up to it was really just-- I was playing as hard as I can for the organization. Obviously, they wanted to go in a different direction. Then they traded me. I just woke up and seen I was traded. I was actually already in Florida at the time. We were playing the Heat.

And so I just hopped in the car. And they drove a van. And I drove down to Tampa. And the rest is history.

- What do you anticipate the next month will be like? I don't know. Are you are you on your phone? Do you pay attention to-- everyone's talking about the trade deadline.

GARY TRENT JR: Definitely, it's part of the game. It's part of the League. I see it with everybody posting on social media, yourself included. So it's just everything. It comes with the game. Go out there and play, again, whatever happens happens. No matter what the situation is, continue to play professional. Continue to do your job to the best of your ability. Continue to go out there and be an energy giver instead of taker.

- Does that-- does it impact you? Or is it just, as you say, you can separate those two things and be professional on the court, block those things out?

GARY TRENT JR: For sure. You kind of got to. You really can't worry about anything that's going on when you're in between the lines, whether it's family-related, whether it's business-related, whether it's anything you've got going on. In between the lines, that's really the only thing you can really focus on. And that, really, the thing that only matters, to be honest with you.

- Were you able to watch the Bucks game last night?

GARY TRENT JR: Say that again.

- The Bucks game last night, were you able to watch it?

GARY TRENT JR: I was not. But I had caught and seen what had partook. So we've got to be ready.

[LAUGHTER]

- OK, OK, I was just asking.

GARY TRENT JR: Yeah, we got to be ready. I seen what--

- Giannis had a career high. What do you make of just-- not in just that performance in particular but just him as a generational talent in this era of basketball?

GARY TRENT JR: Most definitely, just where he started-- where he started from to where he's at now, just his development of his whole game all around, his body, his mindset, his approach to the game, the way he carries himself, again, it's second to none. Like you said, a generational talent.

We've got to go out there and play hard. It should be a great game.

- And then Serge Ibaka, he might be coming back. Well, he is coming back, obviously, but this time playing in front of fans.

GARY TRENT JR: Mm-hmm.

- What do you think that perception's going to be like for him here? He was part of the championship team.

GARY TRENT JR: For sure.

- He has a lot of history here.

GARY TRENT JR: For sure.

- And so just how hungry are you as well?

GARY TRENT JR: For sure, a lot of history, not just here, just throughout his whole career. Again, he's had a wonderful career for himself, what he's done. He's been in big games, big moments. He's a great player. He'll go down in history.

But for him to come back, I'm sure it's going to be nothing but love and positivity. Everything he did here was good vibes down to his drip too as well, his sweaters and stuff. So it's almost going to be-- it should be all love when he come back, I would think.

- How much do you rate his drip?

GARY TRENT JR: I would say he's clean. He clean up nice, you feel me? He got the real grown man-- the grown man look. So he'll be good. He'll be cool.

[LAUGHTER]

- Do you have a top three in the League?

GARY TRENT JR: Say that again.

- Do you have a top three in the League?

GARY TRENT JR: On what?

- Best dressed.

[LAUGHTER]

GARY TRENT JR: No comment.

[LAUGHTER]

- Thank you, Gary.

GARY TRENT JR: No comment.