Gary Trent Jr. scored 67 points across two games for the Toronto Raptors over the weekend. This tally includes a career-high 44 while missing just two of 19 shots from the field on Saturday in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The sharpshooting guard was acquired for Norman Powell at the deadline and is making his bid to be part of the team's future plans.
Trent's 89.5% shooting from the floor in Saturday's win marked the highest field goal percentage in a 40-point performance since Alonzo Mourning back in February 2000. The scoring opus saw Trent become the second-youngest player in franchise history with 40 points in a game, all while securing the second-highest effective field goal percentage ever in a 40-point game.
While he's mostly a shooting specialist in fantasy terms, Trent -- rostered in roughly half of ESPN leagues -- is enjoying a new level of scoring freedom in Toronto that demands more attention.
Weekend recap
Highlights
Saturday
Enes Kanter, Portland Trail Blazers: 24 points (9-16 FG), 30 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz: 42 points (12-31 FG), 3 rebounds, 4 assists
Sunday
Caris LeVert, Indiana Pacers: 34 points (14-20 FG), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks
Jonas Valanciunas, Memphis Grizzlies: 34 points (16-25 FG), 22 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Lowlights
Saturday
Robert Covington, Portland Trail Blazers: 3 points (1-3 FG), 1 rebound, 0 assists, 2 steals, 2 TO
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors: 2 points (0-3 FG), 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 TO
Sunday
Steven Adams, New Orleans Pelicans: 0 points (0-1 FG), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 TO
Weekend takeaways
Kanter pulled down the most rebounds and offensive rebounds in Trail Blazers history on Saturday. The big man became just the fourth player with 30 boards in the past 20 seasons, and the first since Dwight Howard in 2018. For some context as to how rare this performance was -- during the past 20 seasons, there have been four 30-rebound games and 23 60-point games.
Sometimes the biggest winners at the trade deadline don't surface for a few games. Detroit's acquisition of Cory Joseph a few weeks ago didn't make many waves, meanwhile the guard has averaged 15.3 points and 9.3 dimes the past three games and has posted at least five assists in seven of his past nine appearances with Detroit. Joining a Pistons team without a proven NBA point guard, Joseph has become a meaningful fantasy option. Sticking with Detroit, rookie Saddiq Bey has scored 25 points twice in his past four games and is officially over his early-April slump.
The Rockets have another waiver gem to discuss in Kelly Olynyk, who scored 31 across two weekend games and has efficiently averaged 17 points with Houston since coming over from Miami a few weeks ago. Adding a new dimension to his profile, the stretch center has averaged 13.3 rebounds the past three games. I've discussed Olynyk a good bit already in this column, but it's pretty remarkable how he's become a bankable fantasy option for a reeling Houston team.
Returning on Saturday from a multi-week injury, Oklahoma City's Darius Bazley produced 17 points with 14 combined assists and rebounds in a loss to Philadelphia. Bazley is a free agent in more than 80% of leagues and rejoins a rotation that recently removed multiple veterans from the picture. Tony Bradley is beginning to outplay Moses Brown in Oklahoma City. Bradley was brilliant against his former team on Saturday and could be worth watching if he eventually takes a starting role.
Injuries of note
Golden State Warriors rookie center James Wiseman suffered a tear to the meniscus in his right knee and could miss the rest of the season. Some blend of Draymond and Kevon Looney will cover center for the team going forward.
Brooklyn's Kyrie Irving is listed as out due to personal reasons, while James Harden is still dealing with a hamstring injury.
Analytics advantage for Monday
Danuel House Jr., Eric Gordon, and David Nwaba are all out for Houston this evening. Kevin Porter Jr. and Jae'Sean Tate should play sizable roles for the depleted Rockets. Tate hit only three shots on Saturday and yet still delivered a stellar statistical showing with four steals and 11 rebounds.
Versatility is valuable in most fantasy formats, making Tate's ability to recover from poor scoring performances particularly notable. With these three wings off the floor, Tate's usage rises just above 20%, aiding his case as a solid streaming option.
Top players to watch on Monday
Joel Embiid and the 76ers are in Dallas tonight to face the Mavericks in a contest that airs on ESPN. While Embiid is a viable MVP candidate, the player to track is Ben Simmons. The Defensive Player of the Year candidate stifled Luka Doncic earlier this season, making this marquee Monday matchup even more important for Dallas' superstar.