Without question, Devin Carter had a rough rookie season with the Kings. The young guard was drafted 13th in the first round by the Kings in 2024 and things went south from there.
Unfortunately, an offseason shoulder injury greatly delayed his debut with the team. When he was finally healed, he ended up in the G-League to get reps with the Stockton Kings before heading to the show.
Carter ultimately only played 36 games with the Sacramento Kings in the 2024-2025 season, averaging 11 minutes per game. As long as he stays healthy, 2025-2026 will be his first full season with the Kings and he had better get to work.
Devin Carter needs to make an impression fast
At this point, it's well known across the league that the Kings have a heavily shoot-first focused team. They have a lot of guards and keep adding to that aspect of their roster.
Going into this season, Carter will find himself as one of many shooting guards and point guards, fighting for minutes with them. With veterans like Dennis Schroeder and rookie guards like Nique Clifford around, Devin needs to prove he is indispensible fast.
Looking at his scoring stats from last season, that's hard to see happening from that angle. Even keeping in mind his shortened season and limited minutes, his numbers were weak and got worse.
Carter has to show the Kings something
Being a guard who shoots the ball isn't going to do much to secure Carter's place on the roster. The Kings are already overloaded in that department.
What Carter has is strong defensive skills that can evolve. He's surprisingly tough on defense and is a better rebounder than some would expect. Even on his limited minutes, he was averaging 2.1 per game. That will get better if he puts the work in.
Devin Carter isn't the coveted rookie, anymore. If he becomes a defensive-minded rebounder, that will make him integral to the team and provide some of the balance they so desperately need.