2018 NBA Mock Draft: The lottery is done and the order is set
9. player. 27. . F/C. Duke. Wendell Carter Jr.
I went back and watched Carter against Georgia Tech, a game which Marvin Bagley III missed, and came away really excited about Carter’s potential on a roster with shooting and play-making such as New York’s.
Carter finished off several lobs and above-the-rim plays over Josh Lammers and Georgia Tech’s small, slow-footed frontcourt. His energy in transition, accelerated consistently by defensive plays he made himself, created a threat Georgia Tech couldn’t keep up with. That energy will translate, and hopefully make up for the deficiencies he has moving in space on both ends, despite losing some physical advantage when Lammers and ACC bigs turn into NBA monsters.
When guards Trevon Duvall and Grayson Allen got into the paint and kicked back out to Carter, he was hesitant launching from 3. If he doesn’t have a massive athletic or physical advantage in the NBA, he will have to become a good 3-point shooter. That said, he also is a wonderful offensive rebounder (12.8 offensive rebound percentage), meaning he is best around the basket.
A team like the Knicks will need to balance he and Kristaps Porzingis, but they could be fantastic with these two versatile bigs.