25-under-25: Wendell Carter Jr. has no real weaknesses

The Step Back is rolling out its 25-under-25 list over this week. Follow along with our rankings of the top 25 NBA players under the age of 25.

Wendell Carter Jr. was not the sexy pick among a crowded crop of big men in the 2018 NBA Draft. Deandre Ayton was the specimen, the potential offensive monster, who went No. 1 overall. Marvin Bagley III was the scorer, going No. 2 overall to the Kings. Jaren Jackson Jr., the on-paper ideal modern big, went No. 4 to the Grizzlies. Mo Bamba, the all-arms big, went No. 5 to Memphis. And yet, the big who went fifth among his peers, and No. 7 overall, may be the most intriguing.

The reasons Carter Jr. was the fifth big taken in June’s draft are for draft-specific. He projected as solid, a player who does everything well, but maybe isn’t elite at one specific thing or didn’t project to be able to dominate the game in some way. The logic makes sense to some degree, but it’s also flawed. Take Bagley, for instance. Carter Jr.’s ex-Duke teammate might be able to score at a higher level than Carter Jr., but there are some serious concerns about his ability to defend at a good enough level. In a league that hunts down mismatches more and more, what good is 20 and 10 when you’re a huge liability on the other end?

Carter Jr., at least on paper and based on a strong summer league performance, does not appear to have a weaknesses opponents can single out. He isn’t an emphatic shot blocker like Bamba, but Carter Jr. still blocks shots with exceptionally good timing. What he did to Cavs center Ante Zizic in summer league is proof of concept. As a rebounder, he has that same anticipation in knowing when to go for the ball and working around bodies in the paint.

On offense, he showed a promising 3-point stroke at summer league — 42.9 percent is higher than he might end up at in the regular season, but it’s encouraging — and he has ability to handle the ball some. Even if the extent of his playmaking involves dribble handoffs and rolling to the rim with some kick-outs mixed in, that’s more than many bigs can provide. It’s also more diverse, and developmentally tantalizing, than the skillsets of some his fellow 2018 draftees. So far, he appears to be a player who is actually good at everything – with the caveat that he’s only done it in Summer League.

This skillset, this amorphous potential, makes Carter Jr. have a cleaner fit in the modern NBA, at least in theory. No matter what shape the Bulls’ roster takes, and there are serious questions about what their form will be after this summer moves, he fits. He can play with last year’s top pick, Lauri Markkanen, as part of a modern frontcourt on both ends of the floor. If Jabari Parker slides up to the four, Carter Jr. can play the five next to him and cover for Parker’s defensive weaknesses. And if/when teams try and switch smaller players on him, he should be able to bully his way to easy buckets.

This isn’t to say that the other bigs taken in this year’s draft won’t be able to do the same. Every player selected before Carter Jr. has positive characteristics that could make them stars. Maybe Ayton is so dominant on offense that some of his other weaknesses matter that much. Maybe Bagley figures it out enough on defense. Maybe Jackson ends up good at everything, but another level above where Carter Jr. is at. Maybe Bamba turns into Gobert 2.0. And maybe Carter Jr. ends up just being fine.

But when you consider where the league is going, Carter Jr. fits perfectly, while the others all will have to make the game adjust to them. He has no weakness, and that’s his biggest strength.

This year’s 25-under-25 illustrations are the work of Andrew Maahs of Basemint Design. You can follow on Twitter, @BasemintDesign.