Amidst the Paris 2024 Olympics frenzy, Baskonia announced the signing of Trent Forrest. A deep bench option but a steady pickup for the NBA teams during the past four years, fans might have overlooked the impact that he might have as he’s preparing to make his EuroLeague debut this season.
Baskonia went through a tough 2023–24 season despite the fact that they made the EuroLeague playoffs for the first time in many years. The Basques finished 9th in the ACB league and missed the playoffs, something that happened last time during the 1993–94 season.
Baskonia did not lack talent, having two high-caliber scorers in Markus Howard and Chima Moneke, but they lacked players that could lift the overall team’s play. With Pablo Laso on the bench, the Basques decided to move in a different direction, keeping most of their star core from last season and adding players that can mold a culture with a more team-oriented style of play.
The success-filled college years and the NBA
Trent Forrest loves the game. Until his college days at Florida State University, he was still sleeping with his body curved around a basketball. At the same time, he was leading Florida State to new heights during his final season there. Florida State clinched the first ACC regular-season championship in 2020 with Forrest as their leading guard.
An athlete and a student at the same time, the Alabama-born but Florida-raised guard came out of his school as one of the best athletes in the history of the program. He graduated from Florida State in December 2019 with a degree in sports management, and he earned the Skip Prosser Award for best scholar-athlete in the ACC.
A team-first player, Trent Forrest did not have the shiny stats of other NCAA prospects going to the NBA but remained poised to find his chance without forcing his way to amp up numbers. That said, he was part of the Second Team All-ACC and the Defensive Team by averaging a well-rounded 11.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists during his senior year.
Forrest’s team-first mentality followed him in his professional career, when he immediately found a two-way contract despite going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft. The Utah Jazz head coach, Quin Snyder, saw in him the perfect deep-bench guard for his team. A well-rounded college prospect who was willing to defend and make plays for his teammates.
Quin Snyder is labeled as a coach who is trying to achieve success through the system, and sometimes it’s hard for players to find their role in his teams. It certainly means a lot for Forrest’s value as a player that he worked almost exclusively for Snyder during his four seasons in the NBA.
Trent Forrest and his potential role with Baskonia
As it was noted by Baskonia’s offseason moves, Trent Forrest is joining the team with the expectation of receiving a bigger role under veteran EuroLeague head coach Pablo Laso. His ability as a point-of-attack defender already fits well with the defensive deficiencies of fellow former NCAA star Markus Howard. More importantly, he joins Baskonia as the best playmaker after the departure of Codi Miller-McIntyre.
Some interesting stats to hold on to as we’re heading towards the start of the 2024–25 EuroLeague campaign; Trent Forrest was a top-tier playmaker in the NBA. Last season, he registered a 4.6 AST/TO ratio, while he posted a 43.6% AST ratio. That means that something less than half of his team’s possession when he was on the floor ended up assisting a teammate.
That said, his experience playing alongside high-usage star guards like Dejounte Murray, Trae Young, and Donovan Mitchell will certainly help him feel comfortable alongside Markus Howard and Chima Moneke. As for his downside in his game, shooting is an issue for him.
Don’t expect Trent Forrest to create his shot outside the painted area; however, he is able to use his upper body strength to attack the paint. He can find space inside the paint and maneuver his way to the basket, while he’s very adept at controlling the pace of the game. His shooting splits from last season are certainly not encouraging, as he was only shooting 37% from the field and just 20% from three.
That said, Baskonia has enough floor stretchers and offensive firepower to cover Forrest’s shooting deficiencies. In any case, Trent Forrest playing alongside the rest of the Baskonia squad under Pablo Laso will be an interesting story to follow in the upcoming EuroLeague season.
