After much anticipation, we now know what the Sacramento Kings are doing with their first round pick. With the 13th overall pick, the Kings have selected Devin Carter player, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Sacramento is selecting Devin Carter at No. 13 in the NBA Draft, sources say. https://t.co/1u2Qcjqzbo
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2024
Last season, Carter averaged 19.7 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.8 SPG, and 1.0 BPG on 59.7% true shooting in 33 games during his second season with Providence (third collegiate season overall).
Not What Sacramento Needed, But The Best They Could Get
While this doesn't address the team's biggest need (more on this in a moment), landing Carter in the late lottery is a huge win for Sacramento. Many draft boards, including The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, had Carter as a top 10 player on their big board (O'Connor had him at five).
O'Conner even went as far as to say that Carter demonstrated shades of Jrue Holiday – one of the best two-way guards of this century. Most recently, Holiday just played a monster role in helping the Boston Celtics win their first NBA title since 2008.
If the Kings don't end up including him in a trade, Carter will give them a great option to pair with De'Aaron Fox in their backcourt. He's a phenomenal defender (hence the Holiday comparison). Plus, he's a proven 3-point shooter. Last season, he shot 37.7% on 6.8 3-point attempts per game. That means he has the efficiency and volume to prove his merit as a marksman. There's no need to worry about his ability to space the floor.
Despite being a guard, Carter provides something the Kings' defense really needs: positional rim protection. According to KenPom, Carter was in the 77th percentile in block rate in the Big East (the conference his team played in).
As we alluded to earlier, with guys like Malik Monk, Keon Ellis (who Carter is very similar to), Davion Mitchell, and Kevin Huerter, the Kings weren't really in the market for a shooting guard. Their biggest area of need was power forward. However, you can't fault them for taking the player who was arguably the best one left on the board.
It remains to be seen whether the Kings plan on keeping Carter or not. Theoretically, they can still trade for an upgrade at power forward without trading Carter (one guy they could target is Jerami Grant). Regardless, you can't be mad at the Kings for picking a player like Carter with the 13th overall pick.