In his third NBA season, Gary Trent Jr. is averaging a career-best 15.2 points per game on just over 40 percent shooting from 3-point range. He was also traded to the Toronto Raptors on deadline day, in a deal headlined by Norman Powell going from Toronto to Portland.

Trent stepped right into a starting role for the Raptors. But in his first two games, as he adjusted to a new situation and new set of teammates, he went just 6-for-22 from the floor (1-for-10 from beyond the arc) with 14 total points. His third game was a step in the right direction, with 15 points on 6-for-15 shooting (3-for-7 from 3-point range) against Detroit.

Gary Trent Jr. Has Started To Hit A Stride

On Mar. 31 Trent scored a career-high 31 points against Oklahoma City, on 12-for-22 from the floor (6-for-11 from beyond the arc). He followed that last Friday night against Golden State with 24 points (6-for-9 from beyond the arc), as he set a Raptors’ franchise record with a +54.

In five games with the Raptors, Trent is averaging 16.8 points per game on over 43 percent from 3-point range. Narrowing naturally to the last three, he’s averaging 18.3 points per game on 55.6 percent from beyond the arc.

In terms of other categories, Trent is averaging 2.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.9 steals per game overall this season. In the shorter sample with the Raptors, those averages are 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He has at least five rebounds in two of the last four games heading into Monday night’s game against Washington.

Trent is owned in 62 percent of Yahoo! leagues and 50.9 percent of ESPN leagues as of this writing on Monday. So he’s stretching into not being easy waiver wire fodder, but worth checking on. Some cold shooting nights will come, but as the season winds down Trent is very much a potential difference maker for fantasy basketball owners.