Pitt Guard Carlton Carrington Could be a Steal in the 2024 NBA Draft

Carlton Carrington could be a steal in the 2024 NBA Draft with his scoring punch and underrated defensive chops.

Mar 15, 2024; Washington, D.C., USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Carlton Carrington (7) controls the ball against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports / Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 NBA Draft is going to produce some hidden gems, one of them could be Pittsburgh Panthers guard Carlton Carrington - A premier scorer with a defensive baseline that gives encouraging upside.

Carrington averaged 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and nearly a stock per game while shooting 41 percent from the floor, 32 percent from beyond the arc and 78 percent from the free throw line.

A 6-foot-3 195-pound play-making bucket-getter with a 6-foot-8 wingspan was a good halfcourt scoring option thanks to his dominating pick-and-roll production putting up a 0.964 points per possession in such scenarios. That is the bread and butter of most NBA offenses which Carrington can handle at a high-level.

The Panthers guard had a lot on his shoulders offensively, needing to spend 14 percent of the team's possessions in isolation but posted 0.986 points per possession in such settings. His off-the-dribble jumper allowed him to compromise the defense shooting 40 percent in such scenarios including over 48 percent in the mid-range.

With naturally more space in the NBA game, you can see how Carrington's game will translate to the next level as an off-the-pine scorer who can draw in attention from the defense with good enough passing chops to make them pay and rewarding his teammates for quality cuts and off-ball positioning.

One of the drawbacks of his offensive game is his lack of probing the paint, easily deterred out by the trees which is partially due to his lack of balance and ability to finish with contact barring down on him. Should Carrington be able to refine that skill, it would unlock the next level of his offensive game and turn him into a starting-level player.

The Pitt product also struggles shooting the ball off the catch and as mentioned above can not cut and finish at the rim making him a questionable fit away from the ball - a team would need to be willing to make him their on-ball bench scorer to allow him to play right away.

Though, at just 18 years old, Carrington could spend time in the NBA G League to polish his offensive game and be given more runway to develop these skills which could pay dividends down the line.

On the defensive end, much like his rim-finish ability, he is hurt by his lack of size - filling out his frame would do wonders for his game on both ends and something more easily done with the benefit of an NBA staff and facilities.

However, Carrington is athletic enough with a high-enough motor to compete on the defensive end of the floor. Especially if he can funnel action toward defensive anchors down low of beefier partners to pass of overpowering matchups to.

His wingspan and awareness should help him play the passing lanes off the ball and contribute on that end. This is an area Carrington believes is his most underrated aspect of his game.

"I feel like my defense is so underrated. I can really guard, but it’s not really talked about. I’m not a flashy defender. I’m not going to make extreme plays, but if you need someone to stop a scorer, I’m the one to do that," The 18-year-old told Hoops Hype.

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