Pittsburgh's Carlton Carrington a Name to Remember for Miami Heat at No. 15 in NBA Draft

Zach Buckley | Jun 21, 2024

Mar 15, 2024; Washington, D.C., USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Carlton Carrington (7) shoots the ball as North Carolina Tar Heels forward Armando Bacot (5) defends in the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Fiery scorers should have the full attention of the Miami Heat's front office leading up to next week's 2024 NBA draft.

And few prospects in this class burn brighter on that end than Pittsburgh combo guard Carlton "Bub" Carrington.

The bookends of his lone season with the Panthers highlight the kind of heat can bring. He kicked off his collegiate career with an 18-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist triple-double and closed it with a 24-point, four-triple barrage against top-seeded North Carolina in the ACC Tournament.

In total, he wound up averaging 13.8 points on 41.2/32.2/78.5 shooting with 4.1 assists against 1.9 turnovers. The efficiency wasn't great, but his good games were electric. And it's worth noting he was—and still is—just 18 years old. His 19th birthday won't come for another month.

If you want to make the proverbial sky-is-the-limit case for Carrington, age is the easy argument for his upside. But there's also the fact he can clean up his shot selection, bulk up his frame and tighten his handles.

There are skills he can improve, and then others he possesses that players can't really develop. Like the creativity he'll flash off the dribble, the feel to bend defenses to his will and the courage to attempt (and ability to convert) contested, off-the-bounce jumpers.

He is a good enough shooter, shotmaker and passer to jolt this offense into life however he is needed on any given night. And if Miami's developmental magic works on him, he could grow into much more than a spark-plug role with time.

Zach Buckley works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat. He can be reached at zbuck07@gmail.com or follow him on X @ZachBuckleyNBA.

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