NBA Comparison: Sam Cassell

Strengths: In his sophomore season, Tony Carr blossomed into a First-Team All-Big Ten point guard following an up and down freshman season … A big reason for that was his much-improved jump shot, particularly from beyond the arc . Last season Carr shot just 32 percent from downtown on three attempts per game … This year, however, he has ascended his three-point percentage all the way to 46 percent and has done so on just under six attempts per game . Carr’s improved three-point shot has opened up the rest of his offensive arsenal, which allowed prompted him average a Big Ten best 19.9 points per game this season … Carr has very good size and length for a lead guard at 6-5 and can get shots off over smaller defenders … He is an excellent shot creator off the dribble and has become a serious threat to score in the mid-range area via pull-ups, step backs, spin dribbles, etc … When he gets inside the arc he does a great job of using his size and length to shoot over the top of smaller defenders … Carr also can take other guards down in the post, where he is comfortable operating as a scorer or playmaker … He has proficient scoring instincts and understands how to get to spots where he is most effective in different situations … Carr has also improved as a pick-and-roll ball handler and plays with nice patience in the half-court. Rarely does he get too sped up or out of control when coming off of ball screens … Carr is a capable playmaker as well and has improved his assist to turnover ratio in his sophomore season … When he keeps his eyes up and does not try to force the issue, he has shown flashes of solid vision … Carr is a good free-throw shooter as well, at nearly 80 percent for the second season in a row … He his size and length, he has some defensive upside as well, despite not being the most explosive vertical athlete … If he can learn to become more active with his hands on the ball, he could be a guy that records a lot of steals and blocks … Carr is also a good rebounder for a lead guard, averaging nearly five boards per game in each of his first two seasons … He is also clearly not afraid of the big moment, as he made some big time shots late in games this season, most notably to beat Ohio State on the road and one to tie it regulation against Minnesota with time winding down …

Weaknesses: Carr lacks elite burst off the dribble and does not always explode to the basket when he turns the corner … He is also not the most explosive leaper, which hinders his ability to finish at the rim at times … That will limit his defensive upside in the NBA, as he is not quite big enough to guard NBA two-guards, but he does not have the lateral quickness to consistently stay in front of the dynamic point guards that he will see most nights in the pros … Carr also struggles to score against more physical defenders … Despite having a solid 6-5 foundation to work with, he checks in under 210 pounds and can be pushed off his spots fairly easily, so he will need to add some strength at the next level … There are questions if Carr’s improved shooting may be a bit of a fluke … Mechanically, there are no glaring hitches to his release, but his ball does not have great rotation … Will he be able to get away with this behind a deeper NBA three-point line? The biggest knock on Carr at this stage is his inefficiency … Last year he shot just 37 percent from the field, and while he did improve this season, he still made only a pedestrian 41 percent of his field goal attempts … Carr is much more of a volume scorer, as he had to take a lot of shots from the field in many of his high-scoring games this season … A big reason for that is he does not get to the free-throw line at a high rate … For the second season in a row, Carr attempted just 4.8 free throw attempts per game, which is indicative of his tendency to settle for contested jump shots at times … His shot selection needs some work, as he is a bit ball dominant and often tries to play hero ball instead of running the offense like you typically want from a true point guard … The other major concern with Carr is that, outside of his perimeter shooting, he really has not improved substantially in any area since last year … Obviously, he scored the ball at a higher rate this year, but he made just marginal strides as both a playmaker and a defender … With his limited athleticism, he is going to have to become more than just a volume scorer if he plans to carve out any substantial role for an NBA team …

Notes: Ranked No. 50 in 2016 ESPN Top 100 recruits…ESPN four-star recruit…ESPN top-rated player from Pennsylvania…Named the 2016 Pennsylvania Player of the Year by USA Today and by PA Sports Writers in 2015 and 2016… Helped lead Roman Catholic to back-to-back PIAA AAAA State Championships with teammates Nazeer Bostick and Lamar Stevens…Played with AAU team "Team Final”…Named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team, the fourth Nittany Lion to be honored…Started all 33 games en route to honorable mention All-Big Ten… Broke the Nittany Lion freshman assist record…First-Team All-Big Ten selection as sophomore, leading conference in scoring at 19.9 points per game …

William Peter Desautelle III 3/5/18