Devin Carter of Providence Friars was taken with the 13th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. While it is still early, many people appear delighted with the Kings’ selection (myself included).
The individual with the most influence on decision-making is general manager Monte McNair. In fact, he was so delighted that he said this in a statement regarding the selection:
“”Devin Carter simply checks all the boxes. This year’s playoffs have a lot of Devin Carters. I’ll put it that way.””
McNair Isn’t Wrong
Obviously, since McNair is a part of the regime that drafted Carter, he is going to be biased toward him. But he also isn’t wrong with what he said.
At his core, Carter is a two-way guard. On offense, he gives you scoring and spacing. And on defense, he offers point-of-attack prowess, defensive playmaking, defensive rebounding, and rim protection (relative to his size).
All you have to do is look at the NBA Champion Boston Celtics to find some players who fit that profile. Derrick White and Jrue Holiday offer similar two way balance. And while it is no guarantee (in fact, I’d say it’s a long shot) that Carter will ever reach their pedigree as a basketball player, there is no question that he falls under the same archetype as them.
In today’s NBA, you want your role players to be generalists rather than specialists. You want them to be able to do a little bit of everything (kind of like everyone in the Celtics’ starting five). In theory, Carter’s skillset unlocks that versatility for the Kings. And if that theoretical hypothesis plays out in practice at the NBA level, McNair’s comments will prove to be 100% right.
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