NBA Draft 2018: 5 prospects with All-Star potential

Marvin Bagley was one of the best big men in college basketball last season and has been seen as a lottery pick since he was a junior in high school. But in the four or five times I watched Duke last year, Wendell Carter was the player who stood out to me most (besides Grayson Allen tripping someone). He might have been the third or fourth most well-known player on his own team but quietly, Carter was one of the most impressive players in the country. Watching his game replays, highlights, looking at his numbers, seeing his performance at the combine and in interviews, I’ve been even more impressed with Wendell Carter.

He didn’t play as many minutes nor was he as predominantly featured in Duke’s offense as Bagley or other top big men in their team’s offenses. But Carter had the highest 3-point shooting percentage, the most assists per 36 minutes, and was close to the top of the list in rebounding, free throw percentage and true shooting percentage.

Carter is one of the youngest players in the draft so he may be more of a development project but he’s also one of the smartest and with his intelligence and work ethic, will likely show more progress in less time than many other 18-19-year-old rookies. He was heavily considering Harvard before he chose Duke even while he had offers from UNC, Kentucky, and just about every other SEC and ACC school out there.

Wendell Carter is, in my opinion, the most well-rounded big man in this draft and in spite of this, could fall somewhere in the No. 8 to No. 12 range. He may not have as immediate of an impact as Bagley or Ayton but he could very likely emerge as an upper-echelon player on a playoff team sooner than the other players taken before him in this draft.