NBA Comparison: Ayo Dosunmu

Strengths: Carter is a 6’3 190 combo guard with impressive length (6’8 wingspan) and strength on the perimeter that allows him to play bigger than he’s listed … Excellent athlete; an agile mover who dazzled with his leaping skills (42” running vert) & speed (Combine record 2.84 3/4 court sprint) during testing at the NBA Combine, showing his explosiveness …  An aggressive player through and through, Carter was a unit for Providence as a Jr. offensively (Big East-leading 19.7 PPG on 14 FTA/G at 47 FG%), particularly when he had to pick up the scoring void left by C Bryce Hopkins’ injury … Very good vision and timing operating off the dribble; a deliberate slasher who attacks the rim as soon as he sees daylight or when the defense is off balance … Comfortable in ball screen action; had some strong moments creating for himself and occasionally his teammates when mismatched with big frontcourt players … Got to the FT line at a solid rate (5.2 FTA/G on 75% as a Jr., career 4.6 FTA/G on 72%) … Likes to drive and dish, and is effective making dumpoffs to teammates when the defense collapses onto him (3.6 APG) … His high level athleticism, strength and physicality made him an asset finishing amongst the trees (56 FG% inside the arc as a Jr.), with flashes of above the rim finishing ability too … Really improved his 3-point shot this past season, going from sub 30% his 1st 2 collegiate seasons to nearly 38% on a healthy 6.8 3FG/G as a Jr … Is so much more confident in his shooting that he can make shots in a variety of ways, including off the bounce, using handoffs and screens, as well as running to open spots in transition … Shot form, though still a bit unorthodox, is less mechanical than it was in the past as he looked really solid when in rhythm this past season … Whether with his feet set or 1 to 2 dribbles, the groundwork is there for his shotmaking to continue to become more translatable against pro defenders … Among the best and most feisty defensive players in this draft class; flies around and is always looking to create turnovers (1.8 SPG) that lead to transition opportunities … Shows great awareness off the ball, with excellent shot-blocking production from the perimeter added in for good measure (averaged over 1 BPG in each of the past 2 seasons) … The physical tools and nonstop motor he has also allowed him to produce some truly stellar rebounding numbers from the guard position (8.7 RPG as a Jr., career 6 RPG); is willing to mix it up and throw his weight around with bigger players…A Tasmanian devil on the court who is instinctive and simply has a keen nose for the ball … Easy to see him hounding the other teams best guards on a nightly basis, with the ability to defend taller wings in a pinch too..An energetic, overachieving type who leaves it all on the court and was willing to play whatever role that was needed as a collegiate player … NBA bloodlines as the son of former NBA veteran PG Anthony Carter only helps his learning curve …

Weaknesses: Carter was productive throughout his career but he will not be tasked with as much responsibility in the NBA as he was in college, especially on the offensive end … A bit of a tweener guard; at 6’3 he doesn’t project to handle the scorer duties or creation for teammates consistently enough to be positioned as a PG or a SG exclusively … Unlikely to have nearly as much freedom or possessions at the point of attack at the NBA level as at Providence, and will likely have to settle into a secondary or “specialist” role … Not a natural playmaker for others (1.3 A/TO), and will make shaky decisions with the ball or dribble into no man’s land when he has to make more intricate reads or navigate around scrambling bodies to get teammates open looks … Could use some work at playing at different speeds; can be out of control at times with more savvy defenders using his aggression against him leading to wasted possessions and charging fouls … Though his jumper is improved it is still a pretty deliberate shot with wasted motion that will make it a split second easier for defenders to contest, especially off the dribble … Midrange game isn’t anything to write home about currently … Though he rarely missed games in his career, he plays with enough reckless abandon that his durability will be worth monitoring as a smaller player who sacrifices his body on the court frequently …

Overall: Devin Carter was a top 150 recruit in 2021 who started his college career playing under Frank Martin at South Carolina, where he had a pretty solid Fr season before transferring to play for Providence for his Soph and Jr seasons … He enjoyed success moonlighting as the team’s best defensive stopper and perimeter scoring threat the past 2 years, with some gaudy counting stats on both ends of court that ultimately led to him being the Big East Player of the Year in 23-24…Watching Carter play, it’s easy to root for him giving his athleticism, livewire energy and willingness to put his fingerprints in just about every facet of the game…He showed lionhearted toughness, particularly on the defensive end, and his standout NBA Combine performance shows he also will fit right in at the pro level athletically as well…He will need to continue to polish his guard skills offensively as well as continuing to work on his jumper, but the big strides he made in that area in the short time he played under Kim English make it not-so-wise to write off his shooting splits from this past season as a fluke or magic in a bottle…He is a high floor prospect with some well-defined strengths and traits that make him intriguing and versatile, so if he’s able to prove he poses a threat shooting the ball at the NBA level he can undoubtedly become a valuable contributor to winning basketball…After a highly productive season and a string of strong workouts this offseason, Carter is believed to have positioned himself to hear his name called in the lottery of the 2024 NBA Draft …

Notes: Measured 6′ 2.25” barefoot, 8′ 2.00” standing reach, 193 lbs, 6′ 8.75” wingspan, 35 standing vert, 42 max vert at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine …

Jorrye Nixon 6/5/24