Devin Carter Was the Right Pick

Trust me, it’s not as bad as it seems (Friar)

Now hear me out. I know Devin Carter has shown flashes of Thomas Robinson, Jimmer Fredette, Nik “Stauskas Rocks!” Stauskas, Ben McLemore, Marvi- … okay, you get the point. Carter has not been setting the world on fire. And Kings fans are all too familiar with lottery picks that become busts. But, trust me when I say that this situation is different.

Carter suffered a shoulder injury in the lead-up to the NBA Draft which caused him to miss the first 35 games of the season. So, as a rookie, he missed an entire off-season, training camp, and then had to ingratiate himself into a team that was already in the thick of things when it comes to a Playoff race. The win-now Kings were still doing their best in terms of implementing DeMar DeRozan into the team, suffering early season struggles with the offensive flow. Keegan Murray himself was slumping at the time, partly due to an injury but also, you can argue, partly due to a new role with DeRozan in the mix. If Murray was still finding his footing on the new-look Kings, what makes you think Carter would come in and smoothly transition to the NBA right away?

You think that made things difficult? Wait until you find out the Kings fired their coach before the new year. Oh, well that’s the only major change they had to endure for the season, right? Wrong. They also happened to trade their franchise player just a month and a half later… Yeah, Carter has seen two head coaches and the nucleus of the team change just five months into his career. Not the easiest situation to come into as a rookie.

When Carter does play, he faces pressure to instantly produce or he may not see the floor the rest of the night. In nine of his 16 games, Carter has played less than ten minutes. His short leash is understandable for a team trying to win now, but it’s also not conducive to rookie development. He’s show flashes of being a good shooter, such as the games away against Golden State and Boston, and many moments of good defensive play scattered throughout his inconsistent rotation minutes. There is reason to believe he can be a contributing NBA player for the Kings down the line.

Many fans and media members have pointed to the fact that Carter was the wrong pick simply due to the fact that he was both a guard being added to a guard-heavy roster, and that he would miss time to start the reason. I’m sorry, how many times has this franchise been spurned in the past by drafting based on fit and not selecting the best player available? Do we have go through the list? I mean, the aforementioned Thomas Robinson over Damian Lillard should be enough to scar you for life. If Monte McNair though Carter was the best prospect available at 13, he had to take him. We also have to be openminded to the fact that the front office had early doubts about De’Aaron Fox’s long-term future in Sacramento, and thought Carter could help with the guard depth long-term.

Carter has certainly had his ups and downs early into his career, with more downs than ups. He shows flashes of defensive productivity and the potential to become a consistently solid-to-good shooter. But we have to cut him some slack and give him some time to find a rhythm and gain some confidence. The clamoring for Dalton Knecht seems to have quieted down in the Kings fan/media bubble as the Lakers’ rookie has gone through his own slumps. We have to be careful and not be so reactionary when it comes to evaluating these young players.

I’m not saying the guy is a lock to become a perennial All-Star, but we can’t write Carter off just yet. In fact, I think there is a good chance he can become a key part of the future core of this team.