Who is Devin Carter? Here’s a look at the Sacramento Kings’ first-round 2024 NBA draft pick
The Sacramento Kings’ addition of Providence’s Devin Carter with the No. 13 pick in the 2024 NBA draft gives them another guard for their crowded back court to play alongside mainstays De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk.
There are questions regarding his fit in a rotation that already includes Keon Ellis, Kevin Huerter and Davion Mitchell. But that will sort itself out as general manager Monte McNair works on the roster this summer and as training camp competition ramps up in the fall.
First, here’s a look at the player Sacramento just landed.
Son of a pro
Carter is the son of Anthony Carter, who played 13 seasons in the NBA for six different teams and is currently an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies. He was also an assistant for the Miami Heat, where he coached under Erik Spoelstra after serving as a coach on the Kings in 2015-16 under George Karl.
Devin Carter joins Domantas Sabonis in having a father who played in the NBA. There are a slew of examples throughout the league of sons following their fathers’ footsteps successfully.
Primed to help the Kings soon?
While a number of draftees who heard their name called on Wednesday were teenagers, Carter is grizzled by prospect standards. He turns 23 next March after spending three years in college — which falls in line with the chatter surrounding the Kings heading into the draft.
General manager Monte McNair was reportedly interested in adding a player who could help the Kings sooner rather than later, and The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson reported the Kings were involved in trade talks for veterans Kyle Kuzma and Cam Johnson involving the No. 13 pick. Adding a player that could help the Kings advance in the playoffs after losing in the first round and play-in tournament the last two seasons, respectively, appears to be a priority.
Helped himself in the draft process
“No potential lottery selection has helped themselves more throughout the pre-draft process than Carter,” wrote Athletic draft analyst Sam Vecenie about the guard from Providence.
He added: “Like Jaime Jaquez Jr. last season, Carter is an older prospect who has shown up in front of teams and given anyone he’s faced difficulty with his athleticism, elite defense and work rate. League sources have also touted him as leaving one of the strongest impressions in pre-draft interviews.”
Carter has shown a knack for improvement amid changing circumstances. He initially went to South Carolina to play for Frank Martin, who was fired after Carter’s first season. Carter entered the transfer portal and landed at Providence to play for coach Ed Cooley, who took the Georgetown job after Carter’s first season there.
Carter had his best college campaign under his third coach in three years in 2023-24, averaging 19.7 points per game while improving his 3-point shooting from 29.9% to 37.7% for the Friars.
Elite athleticism
Carter’s 42.0-inch maximum vertical jump tied four players for the highest recorded at this year’s draft combine. And his 2.87 seconds in the three-quarter-court sprint was also the fastest recorded.
He stands 6-foot-2 but has a 6-9 wingspan, which helped him grab 8.7 rebounds per game in his final college season. The Kings are betting his combination of athleticism and length leads to him playing bigger than his listed height, which could help him defensively.
