wendell-carter-hd.jpg

34 - Wendell Carter

6-10, 250 Center
Duke Freshman
Birthday
04/16/99 (25.7 yrs)
Hometown
Fairburn, GA
High School
Pace Academy
Team Site Profile
Statistics
Athleticism
8
Size
8
Defense
7
Strength
8
Quickness
6
Leadership
8
Jump Shot
8
NBA Ready
8
Rebounding
9
Potential
8
Post Skills
8
Intangibles
9

NBA Comparison: Juwan Howard/Al Horford

Strengths: NBA-ready body/strong frame … Carter is 6’10," 251 pounds with a 7′ 4.5” wingspan and a 9’1 standing reach … His substantial size/physical profile suggests that he has more than enough size to play at the center position full-time in the small-ball NBA … Offers a multitude of skills on both ends of the floor … He has great hands for a young big man … Highly coordinated and mobile on both ends of the floor … His offensive skill set is as versatile and polished as any other big man in the 2018 draft class … He consistently showcased the ability to score efficiently against high-level college competition … Powerful post player with agile footwork … He excels playing with his back to the basket … Loves to spin baseline … Has finesse in his game … Possesses an array of effective post moves … Can knock down jumpers facing up … Quick first step … Good handle on the ball for a big guy … He’s effective off-the-dribble from the face-up position – gets the rim and finishes … Attacks closeouts strong from the perimeter … Can finish through contact … Proved to be a strong/efficient scorer at the rim – shooting 56 percent from the field overall … Moves well without the ball, gets to the right spot, and does a great job carving out position in the lane and imposing his will on his defender … Has excellent timing when it comes to positioning himself for catch-and-dunk opportunities off guard penetration … Can consistently knock down jumpers from the post area and from mid-range … Shoots the ball with confidence … Has a soft touch on his jumper/shooting mechanics look clean … Stretch big potential … His jumper extends to the three-point line he hit 41 percent of his 46 total three-point attempts at Duke) … Can shoot off the catch and off 1-2 dribbles … Knocked down 74 percent of his free throws (great number for a big) … He has play-making upside … Willing to pass the ball/makes good passing decisions out of the low/high posts … Can throw skips from the post, drive-and-kick out of face-ups, and execute big-to-big interior passes … Moves the ball quickly to avoid double teams … Has shown the ability to pass on the move … Does a terrific job setting screens for his teammates … Knows how to play high low, seals his man when guard penetrates his way … Does a great job making plays either rolling to the basket or popping out towards the perimeter after setting screens … Defensively, he showed solid footwork in the post as well as good instincts … His length and vertical jumping ability paid dividends for him as a rim protector … Has shot-blocking prowess and solid overall defensive awareness … Jumps with his body and arms straight up to block shots … Disciplined about rotating to the rim and challenging shots … Tremendous rebounder – would have averaged more rebounds had he not been playing alongside Marvin Bagley III … Effective at clearing out space in the paint with his thick body to go for boards … Simply overpowered his opponents on the glass … Once a shot goes up, he recognizes the best position for him to secure the rebound and boxes out his man really well … Has a nose for the ball … Uses his rebounding instincts/motor to pull down loose balls in traffic and convert them into second-chance points …Very fundamentally sound player overall … Has a high basketball IQ/feel for the game … A good understanding of angles … Tough, physical player who doesn’t mind mixing it up inside … Runs the floor well/with long strides …

Weaknesses: Good athlete, but he lacks elite athleticism and isn’t considered a run and jump athlete … Does not possess high-end burst, explosiveness, or foot speed (although that could potentially change and improve if he stays in shape/work on his body fat, which was measured at a subpar 7.85 percent at the combine) … Perimeter defense is a question mark … Needs to improve his agility as a perimeter defender … Typically moves well when going from east-west, but not so much when he has to change direction going north-south … May struggle to guard against small-ball lineups in the NBA, especially against quicker players in the pick-and-roll … Can help his team way more defensive if he becomes more willing to do the little things on that end of the floor … Shows flashes of being a good shooter and has solid mechanics, but he still needs to gain consistency from the floor and the foul line … Struggles shooting when he’s pressured and forced to release too soon (needs time and space to get his shot off) … His lack of burst, dynamic leaping ability, and above-the-rim play-making ability could become a challenge when trying to score against NBA size … Finishing in traffic can stand to improve (not a crafty finisher) … Not a transition finisher and seems to jump better off two feet … He’s a bit turnover and foul prone … 6’10" height is considered to be undersized for a center, but it depends on the match-ups and if he’s playing against a small-ball lineup … His average size may make his team play him at power forward, where he wouldn’t be as good a fit as at the center position … Does a good job passing the ball right before double teams come, but if he waits too long, he doesn’t have the size to easily see over the top and can get rushed under pressure … Has relatively small hands for a bigman … Lacks the upside of some his fellow big men in his draft class (i.e. DeAndre Ayton, Mo Bamba, Jaren Jackson Jr., Marvin Bagley III)

Overall: The extremely well-rounded Wendell Carter Jr. turned in a strong freshman season at Duke University, averaging 13.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.1 blocks in 26 minutes per game, with a true shooting percentage of 61 percent … The former 5-star high school recruit was awarded Second-Team All-ACC and ACC All-Freshman Team honors by season’s end. Despite Marvin Bagley III, and Grayson Allen to a lesser degree, getting most of the attention throughout the season for the Blue Devils, Carter most certainly contributed to Duke’s success as the average basketball fan took notice of his budding skill set … In addition, he played himself into top-10 pick, or lottery consideration in this year’s draft … His offensive value has always excited basketball minds about his future in the NBA but his defensive impact as the Blue Devil didn’t go unnoticed … Although, he may never become a high-level NBA defender … Still, NBA scouts are intrigued with his overall understanding of the game combined with his do-it-all ability … With that said, they know that there aren’t many weaknesses in his game, projecting him as a two-way player at the center position despite his lack of prototypical size and elite athleticism …

Notes: Measured 6′ 8.75” barefoot, 6′ 10” in shoes, 251.4 lbs, 7′ 4.5” wingspan, 9′ 1” standing reach, 7.85% bodyfat, 8.50 inch hand length at the 2018 NBA Draft Combine … Measured 6’10, 257 lbs with a 7’3 wingspan and 9’0 standing reach at the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit … Measured 6’8, 242 lbs with a 7’2 wingspan at the 2014 Nike Elite 100 … Measured 6’8 without shoes, 6’9 with shoes, 246 lbs, with a 7’3 wingspan and 9’0 standing reach at the 2014 USA Junior National Team Mini Camp … Measured 6’10’’ in shoes, with a 7’3’’ wingspan and 249 lbs at the 2015 Nike Basketball Academy …An extremely bright kid who was recruited by Harvard and had the grades to attend …

Tajh Jenkins 6/17/18

Strengths: 6’10 mobile big man … Very good length with a 7’3 wingspan and 9’0 standing reach … Good half court explosive ability, gets good lift when dunking and rebounding. Gets off the ground quickly … Consistently runs the floor … Has the strength to establish post position as well as holding his ground when defending the post … Solid post-game for his age. Good jump hook … Nice combination of strength and finesse … Reliable hands with soft touch around the basket … Can finish with either hand within close … Scores well in traffic and doesn’t shy away from contact … Very efficient scorer, shot 70.9% from the field over the Nike EYBL … Draws a lot of fouls and attention from the defense … Very good rebounder … Secures most boards in his area … Crashes the offensive glass. Reliable cleaning up around the basket … Finishes strong and powerful when dunking … Good shot mechanics and improved shooting his senior year, looking more confident and not hesitating. Has range out to the three-point line and can shoot off the dribble … Improved as a free throw shooter …Can put the ball on the floor and attack in a straight line. Handles the ball well enough to make a move on the perimeter in isolation or take a rebound to the other end … Sees the floor and passes well for his size. Shows good awareness and keeps the ball moving, understands when to pass out of the post and knows where the open man is when help defense or double team comes … Stays active, fights for post position and doesn’t expect the ball handler to find him … Active hands. Good shot blocker, led adidas Nations with two per game and averaged 2.5 per game over the Nike EYBL … Contests shots without picking up unnecessary fouls. Rotates well defensively … Has shed some baby fat and is willing to improve his body …

Weaknesses: While he can explode up, he’s not much of a transition finisher. Has a solid vertical but is not much of a run and jump athlete. Sometimes the last player up the court … Isn’t very quick when reacting on defense and closing out to contest shooters … Post-game while sound, is still in early stages of development … Needs to add more technique with his foot work, moving forward, to allow him more success when he doesn’t have a physical advantage … Tries to attack the set defense too often … Has a strong body but has a thick build that may add weight if he doesn’t emphasize staying in shape … One of the more ready players moving forward but lacks the upside some of the other big men in his class possess … May ultimately be a small 5 due to his lack of ideal foot speed … While solid, he didn’t have a great set of All American games or practices. Didn’t separate himself among the other big men and had quiet performances overall …

Outlook: Incoming Duke freshman … Played in the McDonald’s All American Game, Jordan Brand Classic, and Nike Hoop Summit … He led Georgia Stars to win the Peach Jam title in 2015, where he earned MVP …

Notes: Measured 6’10, 257 lbs with a 7’3 wingspan and 9’0 standing reach at the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit … Measured 6’8, 242 lbs with a 7’2 wingspan at the 2014 Nike Elite 100 … Measured 6’8 without shoes, 6’9 with shoes, 246 lbs, with a 7’3 wingspan and 9’0 standing reach at the 2014 USA Junior National Team Mini Camp … Measured 6’10’’ in shoes, with a 7’3’’ wingspan and 249 lbs at the 2015 Nike Basketball Academy …

Evan Tomes 7/16/17

Strengths: 6’9.5 mobile big man … Good length with a 7’3 wingspan … Good half court explosive ability, gets good lift when dunking and rebounding. Gets off the ground quickly … Has the strength establish post position as well as holding his ground when defending the post … Solid post-game for his age. Good jump hook. Good combination of strength and finesse … Good hands with soft touch around the basket. Can finish with either hand within close … Scores well in traffic and doesn’t shy away from contact … Very efficient scorer, shot 70.9% from the field over the Nike EYBL … Draws a lot of fouls and attention from the defense … Very good rebounder. Secures most boards in his area. Crashes the offensive glass. Reliable cleaning up around the basket. Finishes strong and powerful when dunking … Good shot mechanics. Can face up and shoot, has range out to the three point line. Doesn’t settle for three or drift to the perimeter too much … Handles the ball well enough to make a move on the perimeter in isolation or take a rebound to the other end but doesn’t try to do too much as a ball handler … Sees the floor and passes well for his size … Good shot blocker, led adidas Nations with two per game and averaged 2.5 per game over the Nike EYBL. Contests shots without picking up unnecessary fouls … Reliable team leader. Works hard and competes. Never goes through the motions and always provides a productive output … Has shed some baby fat and is willing to improve his body …

Weaknesses: While he can explode up, he’s not much of a transition finisher. Has a solid vertical but is not much of a run and jump athlete. Sometimes the last player up the court … Isn’t real quick when reacting on defense and closing out to contest shooters … Post-game while sound, is still in early stages of development … Needs to add more technique with his foot work, moving forward, to allow him more success when he doesn’t have a physical advantage … Can add consistency as a shooter especially from the free throw line, shot 58.5% over the Nike EYBL … Has a strong body but has a thick build that may add weight if he doesn’t emphasize staying in shape … One of the more ready players moving forward but lacks the upside some of the other big men in his class possess … May ultimately be a small 5 due to his lack of ideal foot speed …

Outlook: A high character kid … Carter has shown to be a very reliable and productive player. He led Georgia Stars to win the Peach Jam title in 2015, where he earned MVP. He had strong Nike EYBL season this year averaging a double-double with 16.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. A kid with a great attitude and extremely strong work ethic … He was one of the few prospects that really impressed NBA scouts at the Nike Academy as he continued to play hard every day as many kids sat out or went through the motions …

Notes: Measured 6’8, 242 lbs with a 7’2 wingspan at the 2014 Nike Elite 100 … Measured 6’8 without shoes, 6’9 with shoes, 246 lbs, with a 7’3 wingspan and 9’0 standing reach at the 2014 USA Junior National Team Mini Camp … Measured 6’10’’ in shoes, with a 7’3’’ wingspan and 249 lbs at the 2015 Nike Basketball Academy …

Evan Tomes 6/25/16

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