Providence's Devin Carter Knows About The Culture So Could Be On Miami Heat's Draft Radar

Shandel Richardson | Jun 2, 2024

Mar 15, 2024; New York City, NY, USA; Providence Friars guard Devin Carter (22) falls while driving against Marquette Golden Eagles during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Devin Carter basically grew up in an NBA locker room.

His dad, Anthony, played four seasons for the Heat before becoming one of their assistant coaches. So the younger Carter knows all about the term Heat Culture and could join it later this month.

Carter, a former guard at Providence, is projected as a mid-first round pick in the draft. The Heat pick at No. 15, so the possibility is there. He said growing up in the locker room helped him mature faster.

"I think just being around pros my whole life, seeing how they maneuver, being in the locker room as a kid, walking around, dapping them up, everything. It helped me a lot just to mature early," Carter said last month at the pre-draft combine. "A lot of people coming into college are still technically in high school. They're little kids. I think I came into college with the right mindset."

Devin Carter's ability to score at all levels through a screen will only grow in the NBA. Can put defenders in jail, hit floaters, use a change of pace to score over bigs at the rim, or quickly take advantage of high P&Rs for 3

With more NBA talent around him he will pop in P&R pic.twitter.com/alPIM9DGbr

— Rich (@MavsDraft) May 29, 2024

Last year the 6-foot-3 Carter averaged 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 37 percent from the 3-point line. He also averaged 1.8 steals and one block.

The defensive end is where Carter really suits the Heat. He enters the league with an already defense-first mentality.

"I think defense is going to get you on the court, whether you're making shots or not," Carter said. "You can miss as many shots as you want but if you're playing defense, you're going to be on the court. I take pride in playing defense. I especially don't like my man to score."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Inside The Heat. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com