NBA Draft 2018: Bulls take Wendell Carter Jr. at No. 7
Finding a player to pair with Lauri Markkanen was a key aspect of tonight’s NBA Draft for the Chicago Bulls, they believe they’ve found that person in Wendell Carter Jr.
The 2017 Duke Blue Devils were supposed to be Wendell Carter Jr.’s team. He was originally the top prospect to commit to Mike Krzyzewski and the Cameron Crazies. That all changed when Marvin Bagley III re-classified and enrolled early in Durham.
All season we watched as the two behemoths shared the floor and helped lead Duke to an Elite Eight appearance. Yet, in the four games that Bagley III missed due to injury, Carter Jr. was more than able to stretch his wings averaging 15.5 points per game, 10.5 rebounds per game, 3.5 assists per game, and 2.5 blocks per game (compared to 13.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2.1 blocks on the season).
One question about Carter Jr.’s game has been his abilities as a defender. The Blue Devils switched exclusively to a zone-based defense early in the year and never looked back. Carter Jr.’s slow foot speed contributed to that as he wasn’t great defending the pick-and-roll in college. Yet, as the numbers above showed, he was no slouch protecting the rim. With a 7-foot-3 wingspan and a sturdy 263-pound body, there’s a reason that opposing teams have trouble scoring with Carter Jr. patrolling the lane.
In Chicago, he will be relied upon to set a tone in the paint even more so than he was at Duke. Lining up alongside the perimeter-oriented Lauri Markkanen means that the bulk of the interior work will fall on Carter Jr.’s shoulders. If things click between those two then the future looks very bright for the Windy City franchise.