As a prospect, I thought he was a solid player. 6’2.5” combo-guard (more of a SG) who excelled on defense, and showed good scoring ability in his final year. But I think he has real question marks around his 3pt shooting. Don’t know how anyone can ignore him he hitch in his shot. His first 2 years in college showed lackluster shooting from both 3pt and FT.
I saw too many parallels with Davion (who I was a big fan of). Older combo-guard players who emerged in their final seasons with questionable shooting, but great defensive play. Davion would be a really good player if you drafted him the 2nd round, but in the lotto?
Brings me to my second part, I don’t think Carter was a good fit on the team. We’re rich at guard between Fox, Monk, Keon, Davion, and Huerter. With the exception of Huerter, all of our guards lack size whether it be the lack of strength or length. Carter would add to that. As a SG, he has good strength and a solid wingspan, but he’s short. People have said he could guard 1-4…. Yeah, I don’t think he’ll be able to guard up to bigger wings, let alone PFs. Nonetheless, you added a defensive-minded combo-guard to a team that already has 3 there (Monk, Keon, and Davion). Looking at the starting lineup, he’s not beating Monk nor Keon in the depth chart. When it’s all said and done, you just drafted a bench player at #13 to compete for minutes with Davion. I don’t know, that just doesn’t seem like a wise use of our draft pick when you could’ve drafted someone like TDS who would’ve had a clear pathway to eventually take HB’s spot and become a starter in the future.
I think Monte drafted Carter knowing that he would require shoulder surgery AND the Kings would move on from Davion. But now, the draft pick makes even less sense to me. At #13, you just drafted a 22-year-old guard who’ll likely redshirt for his entire first season. It doesn’t make sense to sacrifice 1 entire season’s worth of play for a bench player who has all the odds stacked against him on becoming a starter on this team with how much depth we have at SG (Keon, Monk, and Huerter).
This pick only makes sense if Monte believes he can be a legitimate star in the league.
From the Kings missing the playoffs to the Kings being involved in every trade rumor, it would seem like the Kings themselves also feel an urgency to improve the team. So then why do you turn around and spend the 13th pick on someone who won’t play for an entire year?
TDS. But I would’ve also preferred the following players over Carter:
- Knecht
- McCain
- George
but now knowing his shoulder surgery, I would’ve avoided drafting him altogether.