Trent Perry Is Becoming A Star

Coming out of high school, Trent Perry was ranked #31 in his high school class (2024) and looked at as one of the best guards in that class. After being committed to USC, he ended up at UCLA, after then USC head coach, Andy Enfield, left for SMU.

His freshman season was hardly anything to write home about for Perry, but there were still glimpses of what he could be. He averaged 3.7 points, 0.7 assists, and 0.6 steals a game while shooting 34% from 3 and 39% from 2 in 11 minutes a game.

Going back to his high school film though, it was evident the talent was there, and he seemed poised for a sophomore breakout. Well, consider him in the midst of said breakout.

In a January 3rd game against Iowa, Skyy Clark went down with an injury, and he hasn't returned. That was a brutal blow to UCLA given that Clark had been one of the best two way guards in the Big Ten, but it did force Perry to have to have many more minutes allotted to him.

And Trent Perry has taken advantage.

Since Clark went down with injury, Perry has been inserted into the starting lineup and has delivered. In the first 13 games of the season, Perry still was taking a solid jump up from his freshman season, averaging 9.5 points on efficient shooting. However, he's taken even another leap over the last 10 games.

Trent Perry is averaging 16.7 points, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and is shooting nearly 50% from three since being inserted into the starting lineup. He's also been tasked with often guarding the best opposing perimeter offensive player, with success more often than not.

I know the stats don't quite work this way, but if you were to only take the last 10 games, Perry would be 15th in the Big Ten in points per game while one of the leaders in three points percentage.

Since becoming a full time starter, Perry has scored double figures in 9 of the 10 games. He's scored 20+ points 3 of those times, and he dropped 30 points against Penn State. During that span, he's also had two different games with 5 assists and 0 turnovers. The defense hasn't dropped off any either as he's had at least 1 steal in all 10 games.

At 6'4, Perry has been more of an off ball guard early in his career, but he's getting more and more on ball reps throughout the season. Donovan Dent runs the offense while he's on the floor, but Perry has taken over a lot of the backup point guard responsibilities this season. He's improved his facilitating a lot while decreasing his turnover rate.

Coming out of high school, Perry was praised for his scoring and shooting abilities, while also getting acknowledgement for being a smart facilitator. Through 1.5 seasons, that seems to be pretty true at the collegiate level.

Shooting

On the season, Trent Perry is 33/74 from 3 (44.6%), and he's 22/46 from 3 (47.8%) during Big Ten play. Coming into college, the shooting was one of his biggest strengths, and he's really taken a jump with it this season. For reference, last season he was 12/35 (34.3%) from 3 on the season and 4/16 (25.0%) during Big Ten play.

Above is Perry's shot chart on the season. We'll talk about the interior finishing later, but let's focus right now on the mid range and three point shot. Perry hasn't just been a good spot up shooter, he's also been someone who has been comfortable taking shots off the bounce at a higher rate.

On the season, Perry is currently 6/14 (42.9%) on pull up 3s and 26/59 (44.1%) on catch and shoot 3s. The sample size on the pull ups is smaller, but it's still promising that he's been able to convert on those looks.

The IQ of Perry pops up whether he has the ball in his hands or not, and although UCLA isn't a team that runs a ton of pindown action, Perry has still showed the ability to shoot on the move. Take the above clip for example.

Perry (#0) starts in the weakside corner. He doesn't force the initial jumper while being closed out on, and instead opts to re enter into Bilodeau in the post. From there, he immediately drifts to the corner as his defender digs down. This won't go down as a big movement three, but his ability to read the defense, move to the open space, and quickly get set allow him to get off the look. Even with it not being a great pass (Perry catches the ball above his head), Perry still finds the rhythm to get set and rise up. Those little things add up for a player who doesn't always have the largest usage on the team.

Above is another example of Perry being able to gain an edge through the little fundamentals. As Dent starts his drive, notice Perry located in line with the Big Ten logo. He once again smartly drifts to the corner, which forces Smith to not be able to fully contest.

This one is more within the pure flow of the UCLA offense, but it does showcase Perry's ability to quickly square up his shoulders and get set. Although no pindown is actually set, Perry fills correctly to the space that he needs to, and he knows he's going to have a look before even catching.

As said above, he's been more of a spot up shooter than pull up shooter, but he does have it in his bag (and it will be something that probably becomes more relevant next season).

Perry won't make any lists for best shooter in the Big Ten, but he's probably a lot closer to #1 than people realize. If Skyy Clark is able to return this season, that duo would quietly form the best (or one of the best) shooting duos in the Big Ten and potentially the country.

On ball reps

Perry has become more and more reliable on ball throughout the season, and it's really felt like he's been playing much freer this year than last. Despite being freer, this hasn't led to an increase in turnovers, and in fact, it's led to a slight decrease. Last season, Perry had a turnover percentage of 14.9%, and that's down to 12.8%. His assist rate is up from 10.3% to 17.1% this season.

Perry isn't currently a point guard who's going to make the craziest passes, but it'll be rare for you to see him really force passes as well. He simply takes what the defense is going to give him, and most of the time, that's going to be the right play.

In the clip above, Perry starts out by ghosting the initial screen. Once he gets the ball off the small flare screen, he immediately drives downhill. Once Loyer rotates up off of Dailey, it's a simple and effective pocket pass from Perry that allows Dailey to get his look.

So even when Perry works off ball, he's still very capable of being a connecting facilitator of the offense.

In the clip, Perry gets a pick and roll set for him, and he does a good job of being aggressive to get downhill. He isn't the most explosive driver, but he's physical which allows him to absorb some contact. If you pause at right about the 4 second mark of the clip, you can see Perry realize that Dailey's about to cut. So instead of Perry trying to finish over a 7 footer, he instead creates the passing gap he needs by engaging Njegovan before dropping the ball off. Perry continually makes the right read when he plays.

This is another example of Perry simply making the right play with no wasted energy. UCLA runs a pick and pop action, clearing out the strong side corner with a Jamerson cut. With Penn State being in a high hedge, this means there's no real help to be able to help on the Bilodeau pop, so Perry hits him in stride to get one of the best stretch bigs a wide open look.

When on ball, Perry isn't just a facilitator though. When talking about his on ball scoring, his ability to convert in the mid range is the area to start. Perry's currently shooting 45.7% from the mid range this season, and even if it isn't the most efficient shot in the world, it does still give him counters for when teams force him to have to create. Perry isn't the shiftiest guard, but he does a great job of being on balance at all times, which then opens up his ability to convert in the mid range.

Perry refuses the initial screen in this clip, getting Tyler Kropp to switch onto him. From there, he doesn't create a ton of initial separation, but he does a good job of being able to gather, step through, and still create a clean look at the rim for himself. That's where Perry thrives. He isn't always going to win with the initial first step, but his balance and footwork allow him to eventually throw defenders off.

Later in that same game, Perry gets another screen set for himself. He tries to get Clayton on his hip, but isn't quite able to do so. Perry doesn't panic, and he ultimately still gets to his spot in the mid range, where he's able to show off some of the shooting touch.

Perry has also done a great job of getting to the line. He currently has a free throw attempt rate of 54.8 on the season, which is the 18th highest for high major players who are under 6'6. When not filtering for height at all, Perry has the 12th highest free throw rate in the Big Ten.

Perry's ability to stay on balance allows him to absorb a lot more contact than other guards his size, and it also gives him outs for when he drives among the trees. It's also very much worth mentioning that Perry is shooting 85.3% from the free throw line this year, currently sitting at 87/102. He's 56/60 (93.3%) from the free throw line during Big Ten play.

Defense

Perry's defensive ability has also stood out this year, both with his ability to guard on ball, but also his quick hands that end up being disruptive.

On ball, Perry has become someone who moves well laterally, navigates screens pretty well, and also can absorb some contact from drives. He seems to be able to glide and "get skinny" around screens so that they aren't able to make as much contact. And even when screens do make contact, Perry's able to make up for it by being active with his hands.

In the clip above, Perry eventually ends up on an island against Tariq Francis. Perry simply beats Francis to the spot, forces a pull up, and is able to contest.

This clip is a bit more interesting. Ohio State goes to a high ball screen, and although Perry does hit the screener, he's able to utilize an angle to get back in front and at least force a tougher shot from Thornton. It's hard to fully tell from this angle, but it seems like Thornton was probably trying to draw contact on this drive. Perry does a good job of being in Thornton's space without fouling, and that's a testament to Perry's quicker hands.

During Big Ten play, Perry has a steal rate of 2.9, the 11th best in the Big Ten. Despite this, he averages only 1.6 fouls per 40 minutes, the 5th lowest rate in the Big Ten. Perry has grown this season defensively while being asked to guard opposing stars more often, and he's been able to be disruptive without fouling.

This clip puts it all together defensively. Perry navigates the first screen well to stay in front. Once the 2nd screen happens later in the clip, Perry doesn't fully stay in front, but he's still active in the play and almost gets the steal on the pass to the roller. However, Perry doesn't give up and he eventually fights to poke the ball free from behind, resulting in a turnover.

There's room to improve for Perry defensively, but he has really good instincts that allow him to be someone who's going to be a good defender more often than not.

Next Steps

The next steps for Trent Perry are improving his interior finishing and also expanding his playmaking capabilities. The latter is something that probably won't have to happen this season since Donovan Dent handles the ball a lot. It is something that Perry can improve on heading into next season though, specifically being able to move defenses with his drives even more and create opportunities for others.

The other area is the interior finishing. It's been the major area of concern for Perry this season and in his career. He's currently shooting 39.1% from 2 during Big Ten play, and he's a career 44.1% shooter from 2. He knocks down the mid range at a higher rate, but he's really struggled once getting into the paint. Per CBBAnalytics, Perry is 31/66 (47.0%) on shots in the paint this season. That's well below average, even for a guard.

Perry isn't someone who'll play above the rim, so he has to rely on his touch more. With his frame and ability to absorb contact, the looks will be there at the rim, Perry just has to become more comfortable finishing over bigger defenders.

Outlook

There's varying reports on Skyy Clark's health, ranging from he's close to a return up to he's out for the season. If he's able to return though, the emergence of Perry makes it an interesting dynamic as Clark and Perry both are combo guards who have shot the ball well and have played great defense. UCLA will have even more options to go small with 3 guards if they want, or they can rotate so that at least one of Perry and Clark are on the floor at the same time.

Looking ahead to the future seasons, Perry has the potential to be one of the best scoring guards in the conference. He's currently 4th on the team in usage, and both Dent and Bilodeau will be out of eligibility at the end of the season (well I guess in theory, who knows what will happen these days). This means that next year there should be even more runway for Perry to develop, especially as an on ball creator.