Sacramento Kings Will Need Rookie Devin Carter

The 6-foot-3 guard will be sidelined due to injury to begin the season, but will be crucial to the Kings’ success later on.

Mar 5, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Providence Friars guard Devin Carter (22) shoots the ball against the Georgetown Hoyas in the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Coming into draft night with the No. 13 overall pick, the Kings had a multitude of options to weigh before making a decision on who to draft to help them contend for a playoff spot. Devin Carter was definitely one of those options — though it was unlikely he slid past No. 12 given his pre-draft buzz — he ended up falling to No. 13 and Sacramento drafted him with little doubt. So it was unfortunate to hear him sidelined until at least the 2025 calendar year with left shoulder surgery.

While he won’t be with the Kings until at least January, once he returns, the level of impact he can have come playoff time will be key to their hopes of contention. The addition of DeMar DeRozan will give them a boost offensively, but the event creation and rebounding Carter provides on the defensive end are hard to overstate.

In his final season at Providence last year, Carter put up a 2.8% block rate, 2.9% steal rate, and a 23.7% defensive rebound rate. With just those numbers out of context, he seems to have the profile of a big man until you consider he also put up a 23.3% assist rate while shooting 37.7% from three.

This versatility as a guard is enabled by his 6-foot-9 wingspan, which allows him to rack up blocks, steals, deflections, and grab rebounds at a supremely high rate. Along with that, Carter brings high-level decision-making and promising shooting that makes him an ideal dribble, pass, shoot, and defend wing for the Kings.

Shooting is something that Carter will have to prove he can do in the NBA, though. While he shot it well in his final collegiate season and at good volume (11.2 attempts per 100 possessions), he shot just 28.8% on 6.3 attempts per 100 possessions in his first two seasons while also being a 72.3% career free throw shooter.

If he can shoot it well, it’ll make his transition to the NBA that much easier, especially coming off injury. And if he can provide his passing, event creation, and rebounding at a high level by the time the postseason rolls around, he’ll make the Kings’ chances of advancing to the second round that much higher. For that reason, the Sacramento Kings need Devin Carter.

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