"Writing's on the wall": Trent Jr. reluctantly accepting bench role with Raptors

The Toronto Raptors are still nine days away from their games counting for real, but their starting lineup appears to be taking shape.

In their preseason opener last week against the Sacramento Kings in Vancouver, Toronto trotted out a starting lineup of Jakob Poeltl, Dennis Schroder, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, and O.G. Anunoby.

With Poeltl missing yesterday’s matchup against Australia’s Cairns Taipans, Chris Boucher slotted into his place along with the four other regulars.

Though it’s just two preseason games, that leaves out 24-year-old guard Gary Trent Jr., who seems to be reluctantly accepting his role as the team’s sixth man.

He’s played 160 of his 270 career NBA games to date as a starter — including 128 of 153 as a Raptor — but was relegated to mostly bench duty last season after the team added Poeltl just prior to the 2023 NBA trade deadline.

And though like any NBA player, starting would be his preference, Trent seems to have accepted his role under new head coach Darko Rajaković.

“Obviously the first two games I’ve been coming off the bench; practices I’ve been with the second unit,” Trent Jr. said at Monday’s practice, via Sportsnet’s Michael Grange. “So the writing’s on the wall. So just continue to go come in and help to win as much as I can.”

Trent Jr. averaged 17.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 66 games for the Raptors last season, his third with the team.

“Obviously you work to start in the league… but I have no control over that… There’s no time to complain about the situation,” Trent Jr. added, via TSN’s Josh Lewenberg.

Trent Jr on coming off the bench: "It's going to be what it's going to be… Obviously you work to start in the league… but I have no control over that… There's no time to complain about the situation. I'm just coming into work & doing what I need to do to help this team win"

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) October 16, 2023

At the team’s media day, Trent Jr. hinted at a strong relationship between himself and Rajaković, calling the communication between the two “great” and adding that he’s speaking to his new coach more than he had in any of his three previous NBA coaches (Nick Nurse, Terry Stotts, and Chauncey Billups).

This week, the Raptors travel to Chicago where they’ll take on the Bulls for a preseason matchup on Tuesday evening, before closing out their exhibition schedule with a home game against the Washington Wizards this Friday at Scotiabank Arena.

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