Pitt Star Named Biggest NBA Draft Steal

The former Pitt Panthers standout has already stolen the show with the Washington Wizards.

Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Carlton Carrington poses for photos with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected in the first round by the Portland Train Blazers in the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers guard is entering his rookie season with the Washington Wizards, as he looks to begin his NBA career this fall.

Carrington came to the Wizards in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Wizards got the No. 14 pick (Carrington) in a trade that sent Deni Avdija to the Trail Blazers. They also received Malcolm Brogdon, a 2029 First Round pick and two second round picks.

He had a great start to his career with the Wizards, as he had put on some fantastic performances in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in July.

Carrington averaged 32.6 minutes, 15.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game, while shooting 32.9% from the field, 35.9% from 3-point range and 86.4% from the foul line, which helped him earn NBA 2K25 All-Summer League Second Team honors.

His play in the Summer League has put him in coversation for NBA Rookie of the Year, along with his Wizards teammate and French center Alex Sarr, the No. 2 overall pick.

Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN spoke to 20 NBA Executives and Scouts on their opinions on a variety of topics when it came to this rookie class.

Carringtion received the most votes, five, for the biggest draft steal. Former Indiana center Kel'el Ware, who went to the Miami Heat at No. 15 overall, and former Illinois wing Terrence Shannon Jr., who the Minnesota Timberwolves took No. 27 overall, both came in second with three votes each.

Two people spoke to Givony and Woo on why they chose Carrington. This included a comparison to Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey, who was an All-Star and the NBA Most Improved Player Award honoree this past season, and that he might serve as the best player the Wizards drafted in the First Round.

"[Carrington] has the size, quickness and game to be an All-Star," one Western Conference executive said to Givony and Woo. "I see some [Tyrese] Maxey in the way he plays."

"I think he will turn out to be the best pick that Washington made in this draft," another voter offered to Givony and Woo. (The Wizards also selected Alex Sarr at No. 2 and Kyshawn George at No. 24.)

Carrington starred for the Panthers last season, earning All-ACC Rookie Team honors, the first Panther to do so. 

He started all 33 games for Pitt, averaging 33.2 minutes, 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, respectively, while shooting 41.2% from the field, 32.2% from 3-point range and 78.5% from the foul line.

One of his best games came in the season opener, as he scored 18 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out 10 assists in the win over North Carolina A&T, becoming the first Panther to have a triple-double in their debut in program history.

Carrington is the first Pitt player to go in the First Round since center Steven Adams did so when the Oklahoma City Thunder selected him with the 12th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

He is also the first Panther to earn an NBA Draft selection since the Atlanta Hawks took Lamar Patterson in the Second Round in 2014.

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