Devin Carter: Breaking Down A 2024 NBA Draft Prospect Cut From The Same Cloth As A 13 Year NBA Veteran
Devin Carter is cut from the same cloth as a longtime NBA Alum. His dad Anthony Carter played in the NBA for 13 seasons and is currently an Assistant Coach for the Memphis Grizzlies. So, in certain areas of Devin’s game his fundamental soundnesses shows out.
For the 2023–24 season, the Providence Friars won 21 games and lost 14. Interesting fact: Devin Carter’s team won 15 of those games and only lost 4 when he shot over 57 percent on his two-point field goal attempts.
At the next level Devin Carter is a modern day combo guard. When he reaches his prime he’ll impact the game on both sides of the ball. The NBA team that drafts Carter, will get two way play wrapped in athleticism, scoring, offensive efficiency, excellent backcourt rebounding, trips to the free throw line and a pride in playing defense as the bow on top.
Carter, who is 22 years old, is one of the more experienced and self aware players in this year’s draft class.He’s also one of the prospects that will more than likely become an All-Star. His style of play fits the mold of today’s game. Current draft projections place him as a lottery to a middle of the first round selection. Expect him to move up the draft boards.
Next, let’s take a look at 6 things that you will find on the scouting report for one of the top 2024 NBA Draft prospects.
6 Things You’ll Find On Devin Carter’s Scouting Report
#1. Carter Makes An Impact On the Offensive End
Whether efficiently scoring around the basket, getting hot from downtown, making trips to line, creating for teammates or crashing the offensive glass Devin Carter impacts the game on the offensive end of the floor. He’s a high usage combo guard that does damage when playing to his strengths.
At the collegiate level those strengths were scoring at two levels, from close range and downtown. His scoring production was nearly evenly distributed between the two. Followed by steady scoring from the charity stripe and least frequently from midrange.
At this stage of his career and for his style of play, three point shooting accounts for nearly half of his total shot attempts. Close range attempts account for 39% and the midrange accounts for 13%. So he’s mostly settling for jump shots.
However, at the next level a shot selection that consists of more close range and less long range attempts will be beneficial for his production and efficiency during the early years of his career. Naturally it may take some time while adjusting to the NBA three point line. Plus his midrange jumper needs work.
#2. Attacking From Close Range Is Carter’s Most Effective And Efficient Offensive Weapon
Devin Carter is an efficient and effective close range scorer. Outside of free throws Carter puts the ball through the hoop most frequently from close range. Which is the result of attacking the basket in the half court and transition, turning defense into offense, being found at the basket and occasionally by cleaning up with put backs.
The majority of his close range shots are unassisted field goal attempts in transition and the half court. Most of these opportunities are created when he attacks off the dribble. Carter is capable of turning the jets on. However, he often doesn’t make it all the way to basket. His attacks are typically slow and steady while using his angles to get to his spots.
In the half court Carter effectively uses jab steps before attacking from the face up, off handoffs and around screens in both directions. Through straight line, start & stops, crossovers, in & outs and behind-the-back change of direction attacks, he gets to the baseline, foul line area, paint, and the basket. Plus he does a decent job of keeping defenders on his back and hips.
Once he gets to his spots field goal attempts are set up with jump stops, rotating pivots, step throughs, post back downs, path clearing elbow wrap arounds, head fakes, brief pauses, spin moves and sometimes muscle. Also, Carter does an excellent job of using his two steps to change and speed up his pace after picking up his dribble.
In transition his unassisted scoring opportunities come from turning defense into offense or simply attacking the basket (like the half court) on the break. When pushing on the break Carter is fast and comfortably evades defenders by changing direction off the dribble in the open floor or with the euro step when getting to the basket.
Although most of his close range field goal attempts are unassisted about 20 percent of his shots at the rim are assisted. Carter presents a real threat to the opposing defense off the ball, whether it is through transition leak outs, back door cuts, or being found at the basket with drop passes in the half court.
Overall, Carter is reliable and versatile finisher in the paint and around the basket. He pulls up for jumpers, leans into shots and fades away. Below the rim he finishes with runners, floaters and lay ups with both hands. Above the rim he’s an athletic explosive finisher. He has acrobatic two handed flushes, windmills and reverse dunks in his bag. Plus he’s a lob threat, can finish when contested and through contact.
As mentioned earlier, Carter was able to guide his team to a 15-4 record when he shot better than 57 percent on two-point field goal attempts. Until he adjusts to the NBA three point line, shifting his close range game to the top of his offensive hierarchy will decrease the likelihood of shooting his team out of games. It’ll also help his team win games. Which is no surprise when you realize how good he is from close range.
#3. Relies Heavily On His Jump Shot But There’s Room To Improve As A Shooter
Carter’s current style of play relies heavily on his jump shot. He scores most of points from long distance and the least points from mid range. Shooting from downtown accounts for the lion share of his field goal attempts. When combined with his midrange shots they account for more than 60 percent of his total field goal attempts.
During the offseason, Carter honed his shooting skills. From the hot streaks to heat checks the results speak for itself. Compared to his first two college seasons, he was much more efficient in 2023–24. However there’s still work to do and room for improvement.
On bad misses his room for improvement is very apparent. Sometimes he hits all backboard or misses everything with air balls etc. Also, while Carter has NBA range he lacks NBA efficiency. It may take time to become proficient while adjusting to the NBA three point line. Last, his mid range shot is inefficient. But in today’s NBA game, teams that favor a stat oriented dunk or three style of play won’t mind this deficiency.
Instead, they can make him a threat in transition or run him off of screens in half court, SOB and BOB settings. He’s also able to knock down the three point opportunities created for him off the drive, draw and kick. Carter is most effective in catch-and-shoot or DHO scenarios. Many of his made three pointers are assisted.
However he also shoots off the dribble just fine. Most of if not all of his midrange jumpers are created off the dribble. So he has no problem creating shots from anywhere on the floor whether in the half court, early offense or transition.
Carter attacks in both directions off the face up, around screens, handoffs, when isolating or pulling up. He gets his shots fromNBA range, the college 3pt line, the mid block extended areas, short corners and the post. Separation is created by dancing off the dribble, changing direction with spin moves, crossovers and going behind the back. Fade-aways, turnarounds and pull ups are set up with back downs, step backs and hesitations. Plus he gets defenders off their feet with head fakes and draw fouls.
#4. A Very Unselfish Player That Finds And Makes Plays For Teammates
His head is on a swivel while constantly looking for open teammates. He finds them in the half court and transition. Carter is a very unselfish player that moves the ball and makes the extra pass. He’s a creative play maker with above average passing ability.
Carter is effective whether pushing in transition, driving, drawing and kicking or playing out of the pick & roll. He sees the floor well and makes plays after turning the corner. He zig zags and start & stops his way to his spots with or without screens. For the most part he makes the right play after drawing help defenders.
Carter finds shooters with kick outs and cutters with bounce passes. He’s also pretty good at keeping dribble alive when the pass is not available. There are also moments when bad passes are overthrown and intercepted.
#5. Takes Pride In His Defense
This kid is a good defender. He’s a dog that takes pride in stopping his man from scoring on the gritty end of the floor. Whether contesting a shot before reeling in the miss to picking pockets or getting into passing lanes, Carter turns defense into offense in several ways. Plus he has excellent end to end speed, length and good positional size to match up against opposing point guards.
When watching Carter play you often see very good defensive possessions. How hard he works at sticking to his man like glue when defending on and off the ball stands out. Overall athleticism highlighted by a 42 inch max vertical allows Carter to quickly get high off his feet. Chasing and fighting through screens to contest and block shots are fairly common with him.
On the ball he’s solid and locks in. Carter is the harassing presence type of defender that applies pressures to ball handlers. He gets low in his stance, has excellent lateral movement and has quick hands for steals and poking balls loose.
Off the ball his denials are decent. Screens are often needed to separate him from his man. He’s a willing and eager help defender. He hustles, loose balls are chased down and he’s capable of blocking shots from behind. Excellent anticipation and timing gets him into passing lanes. But over eagerness can sometimes end with him being out of position or picking up a foul.
Conditioning could potentially be an issue for his style. At times he plays to exhaustion. You can see that fatigue makes him a temporary liability and his rotations less than ideal when gassed. It’s during these times you see the kinks in his defensive armor.
#6. Excellent Backcourt Rebounder
An excellent rebounder from the guard slot. What makes him special are his fundamentals and nose for the ball. Carter anticipates where missed shots will come off the rim with the best of them. Plus he hustles to chase down rebounds.
On the offensive end he stays back to prevent leaks out for the most part. He understands that it’s his responsibility to prevent easy baskets when his back court mate attacks the rim. However he goes after offensive rebounds when he’s already in the painted area as shots go up.
Carter occasionally crashes the glass from the perimeter. He’s capable of securing offensive rebounds even after being boxed out. By anticipating where the ball will come of the rim he usually breaks free before his defender figures it out. Although it’s not a major part of his game Carter is very capable cleaning up misses with put backs and drawing fouls on the way up. Put backs account for a small percentage of his scoring but he does it efficiently.
On the defensive side of the glass he’s an excellent proactive rebounder. One that doesn’t shy away from going down into the trenches amongst the giants. His fundamentals are sound. This is an area of his game where being a coaches son shows.
Occasionally he stays back on the perimeter with his man as shots go up. However he’ll abandon his man then drop down into rebounding areas when it’s a good decision to do so. This often happens when his man has committed to staying on the perimeter or fade towards the backcourt as shots go up. By simply putting himself in the right place at the right time Carter racks up plenty of rebounds. He’s able to easily swoop in and secure uncontested rebounds while his man hangs out on the perimeter and teammates are battling and boxing out under the basket.
Devin Carter commits to boxing out. He finds a body when shots go up. When unable to properly box out he does his best to block the path to the rim in order to prevent his man from crashing. He’s always ready to slow down or keep his man off the glass with a bump or a box out if his man crashes. Around the basket Carter has the vertical to out jump other for rebounds. Plus he has some strength to wrestle for possessions.
D. Carter’s Profile: #22 Providence Friars
Listed Height: 6’ 2.25” (without shoes)
Weight: 193 LBS
Wingspan: 6′ 8.75″
Standing Reach: 8′ 2″
Max Vertical: 42 inches
Position: Combo Guard
Class: Junior
Hometown: Miami, Florida
DOB: 3/18/2002 (22 yrs old)
2023-24 NCAA Season Stats
| GP | MIN | PPG | USG% | FG% | FT% | 2P% | 3P% | RPG | AST | ST | BLK | TO | PF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 35.3 | 19.7 | 28.1 | 47.3 | 74.9 | 56.3 | 37.7 | 8.7 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 1.9 |
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