The 2024 NBA Draft will take place on Wednesday, June 26th and Thursday, June 27th. Our draft expert, Bryant, is semi-retired from draft scouting, so you can't rely on him for his usual in-depth analysis. So, we're going to do our draft coverage a little differently this year: introducing prospects, sharing highlight videos, and sharing general thoughts before discussing with the group.
Today we look at Devin Carter, who is currently the Sacramento Kings pick in NBA.com's consensus mock draft.
NBA Positions: guard
General information: 22-year-old junior. Plays at Providence. Florida native.
What can be measured: He is 6’2.25″ tall without shoes, weighs 193.0 pounds and has a wingspan of 6’8.75″”.
2023-2024 season statistics: 19.7 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 2.7 TPG (33 games played, 35.3 minutes per game), FG 47.3%, 3P 37.7%, FT 74.9%
Devin Carter, the son of former NBA player Anthony Carter, is an interesting prospect. Many Kings fans would cringe at the very idea of drafting a guard, much less an undersized guard. I may be one of them. Carter's greatest strength is his defense, where he uses his arm length to harass opponents and confuse offenses. Carter is a 6'2 guard who averages 8.4 rebounds and 1 block per game. That's pretty impressive. But as a Kings fan, it's impossible to look at Carter's basic profile and not be troubled by the similarities to Davion Mitchell. Both are undersized guards, but they were elite defenders in college and made 3-pointers in just one season. Carter's 3-pointer, while effective last season, has a very poor release. We all know that a consistent release is more important, but after only one season of good shooting in college, it's natural to worry about whether that shot will work in the NBA. I'm also worried about his defensive prowess. I noticed that Carter's defensive highlight reel includes a lot of blocks that are the result of Carter's defenders getting past him. His recovery blocks in college are impressive, but I worry about whether Carter will be able to recover against NBA talent.
Given the current makeup of the Kings' roster, it would be a surprise to see Carter's name called on draft night. If the Kings do select him, a trade would be expected. The Kings would either change course and trade Carter or move another guard, such as Davion Mitchell.
