SACRAMENTO – Growing up as the son of a former NBA player and assistant coach, Devin Carter was exposed to people and places most kids at a young age can only dream about.
Carter made the most of it all, absorbing tips from Kings stars like Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins and even engaging in a shooting contest with Seth Curry.
Late nights after games, whether he'd watched the game or not, the young Carter would quickly share stories of his days with the players and beg his dad to take him to the gym to put what he'd learned into practice.
“He said DeMarcus showed me this, or Rondo showed me this,” Anthony Carter told NBC Sports Bay Area on Tuesday, “so he wanted to go in the gym and work on it. I said, 'Whatever any of them give me, I'm going to work on it.'”
All the hard work and nights spent in the lab and on the court certainly paid off, as Devin followed in his father's footsteps into the NBA and was selected in the first round by the Kings in last week's 2024 NBA Draft.
The Carter brothers gave Devin's official introduction to Sacramento media on Tuesday morning at Golden 1 Center. Unlike draft night, the 22-year-old seemed very relaxed in his uniform, ready to begin his professional career.
“I'm really happy to be in Sacramento,” said Devin, who spent part of his childhood and played youth basketball in Roseville. “I've definitely had a great experience here and I'm ready to get to work.”
Kings fans feel the same passion for Devin. When the Kings rookie arrived at Sacramento International Airport on Monday, he was greeted by throngs of fans wearing purple and waving cowbells.
“There was excitement,” Devin said. “Cowbells were ringing and there was purple everywhere. It was awesome. I feel welcome here.”
The Kings are hoping he will feel just as comfortable on the court.
Devin, a two-way star who was named the Big East League Player of the Year in college, will be Sacramento's defensive stopper. While he made great strides offensively in his final season at Providence, it was Devin's defense that caught the attention of NBA scouts and earned him a spot in the first round of the draft.
“The first thing that jumps out at you on Devin's film is how hard he plays,” Kings general manager Monte McNair said. “I think that shows up in the box score and some of the stats. Basketball is all about the ball, and Devin goes for the ball. When the shot misses, he goes for it. He goes for the loose ball. He takes the ball away from the other team and puts it in the basket.”
“I know that sounds simple, but when you watch him, when you talk to him, when you look at the stats, we see that all over the place. When all those things line up, we have confidence he can do it at the next level.”
As with nearly his entire basketball career, Devin didn’t have to look beyond his own family for inspiration while growing up.
When asked where he got the inspiration to dedicate so much of his game to defense, Devin pointed to the crowd at Golden 1 Center and his father, who was sitting in the front row.
“It just comes from that guy,” Devin said. “My whole life I've seen him on the court playing defense. When I watch basketball games, people say things like, 'Your dad was a bad defender,' and I just try my best to emulate that.”
“At the end of the day, even if I'm not scoring or doing anything else, at least if I play defense, I've got that. I want to give the coach a reason to play me, and every coach wants a guy who can play defense, so I take pride in that. But for me, I personally think defense translates to offense. If I can get a stop, a block or a steal, I can turn that into a good offensive play. I think that's what drives me.”
After Tuesday's press conference, Anthony stood in a corner and spoke quietly about his son's accomplishments. He came off like a proud father, and while he may be a little biased, he believes Devin would be a great asset to the Kings.
“It feels great knowing how hard my dad worked and how many hours he would beg me to go to the gym, whether it was in the middle of the night after a game or 5 a.m. before school,” Anthony said. “Being a former NBA player, I knew what it took, so I already had a formula. All he had to do was listen. I just took him to the gym, told him what to do, and he went and worked.”
“If he was having a bad day and messing around, I'd take him out of the gym and kick him right out. If he wasn't trying hard enough in five minutes, I'd stop him. I'd make him think.”
When Devin was in middle school, he began doing something that many basketball players his age and older never even considered: analyzing film, first with his father and then on his own as he grew and learned.
“I was coaching and I'd watch Devin's games and I'd say, 'You did this, you did this, you did this badly, this was great, why didn't you shoot it, why didn't you play defense?'” Anthony said. “And then he'd start watching his film because he knew I was watching him. He was always honest with himself. He knew when he was screwing up. Even now, even in games from two years ago, he'll tell me every play, what happened in that scenario.”
“I thought, 'This kid is incredible.' His IQ was always good. Always better than the guys he played against and, honestly, better than the guys playing in the league right now.”
Since the draft, McNair has spoken many times about how the Kings believe Devin can be an impactful player not just this year but for many seasons to come.
But for now, Devin wants to focus on improving his mid-range shot (something his college coaches forbade him to do) and help the Kings reach a deeper postseason run.
He spoke with De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk after the draft, met with Keown Ellis and Colby Jones at the Kings' facility and looks forward to working on the court with them and the other players in Sacramento.
“I don't have any rookie goals or anything like that,” Carter said. “My biggest concern is just winning and playing the right way.”
