As for Carter, I was hesitant about his abilities to be a PG on offense coming out of college. I think he had the potential to be a focal point on offense and have the ball in his hands due to his combination of length, strength, athleticism, ability to draw fouls, and PnR game, but I also considered it a long shot. I think it was much more likely he’d become a guy like Alex Caruso, Donte DiVencenzo, Marcus Smart, Josh Hart, etc.
This 1st SL game didn’t help me gain more confidence in his PG play/potential, but it’s just 1 game. We need to see a body of work to assess how much he has grown/developed from last season.
What’s most concerning for me about his PG potential/upside is the fact that he said in an interview that he has never played PG in his life. That was actually really surprising to hear. I would have thought at some point growing up he would have been in a PG role, but he confirms that’s not the case.
That statement makes me feel even less sure in his PG potential/upside than the poor SL performance I just watched. I feel like there’s a much wider chasm for him to cross in order to be that PG on offense than I originally thought. And that’s not to say that Carter can’t be a very impactful player anymore, he can! I’m just becoming more pessimistic that he’s going to develop into an offensive PG.
EDIT: And I don’t necessarily disagree with keeping Carter at PG for the entirety of the SL even if he continues to struggle (and even if the FO doesn’t see him as a PG). Let him get more reps with the ball in his hands, let him get more reps with people pressuring him in the backcourt, let him get more reps in the PnR, let him get more reps driving to the rim, let him get more reps making reads when he collapses a defense, etc.
He may not be good enough at all of those things to warrant him being a PG in the big leagues, but all of those things he will have to do in the big leagues (just at a lower volume). Have him work on them here to try and improve and get more comfortable so he can be that much more impactful in the role he’s likely more suited to play. But one thing is for sure, he’s going to need to be at least respectable from 3 if he wants to have a chance at carving out a significant role on a team.