2018 NBA Mock Draft: What if Memphis wins the lottery?

The draft process is taking shape through the combine and team workouts, as we try to sort out teams’ wants and needs in the latest edition of our 2018 NBA mock draft.

The draft order for this week’s mock draft was created based upon a randomized Tankathon lottery simulation.

Watching Carter against Texas Tech early in the season, I was most impressed with the reminder of how solid he became during his four-year college career nailing tough, contested shots to drag the West Virginia offense toward competitiveness.

Carter upped his usage percentage by five points this season as a result of Ahmad’s injury and Tarik Phillip’s departure, yet still managed remarkable efficiency. He tallied nearly three assists for every turnover, made 40 percent of his 2-point jumpers despite only 15 percent of them being assisted (according to Hoop-Math), and took a ton of 3s. If he can refine his game to the point where he is simply an elite 3-point shooter and an above-average passer, his defense can carry him to a long NBA career.

The senior shot just 50 percent at the hoop and many of those 2-point jumpers he tried were bad shots that he had to force because of a lack of offensive talent around him, a mandate to push the pace, or simply impatience. If he’s going to rise above the morass of iffy guards in this range (Grayson Allen, Trevon Duvall, Devonte’ Graham, Elie Okobo, Jalen Brunson) and get first-round money, his shot will need to look great in workouts and he will need to finish in scrimmage situations.