Upsides
He is an excellent perimeter defender in every aspect of the skill. He moves around screens well, he is nearly impossible to beat at the point of attack, he recovers quickly on those rare occasions where his man does lose him, and puts in 100% effort at all times. He is a good team defender as well. He’s very aware of what’s going on around him and he is great at adjusting to different scenarios quickly. It’s harder to project how good smaller guards will be on defense in the NBA, but I think it’s easy to see Carter being considered on of the best guard defenders in the league at his peak.
He is a really talented rebounder for a guard. He combines physicality and effort to outmuscle other players for rebounds. I don’t think he will average as many rebounds in the NBA as he has in college, but it’s still a skill he has and one that will show up in the NBA.
He is a very good driver and finisher around the rim. He isn’t the most creative ball handler, but he is able to push his way through defenders and contact to get to the rim. When it comes to finishing around the rim, he has good touch and can finish through contact.
He is a really solid ball handler and passer. He makes good reads consistently and doesn’t turn the ball over a ton, which is impressive when you consider how much time he spent with the ball in his hands. He isn’t fancy with his handles or passes, but he gets the job done. Thats going to translate to the NBA
He is a good mover off the ball. He makes quick cuts and can muscle his way through bodies and around screens in order to get open or in a good position for a rebound.
He has a big range in which he can make shots from. I don’t know if the shot is entirely real (more on that later), but he definitely has the range to be making 3-pointers in the NBA.
Forgive me for sounding like a broken record, but the effort he puts in on a nightly basis is insane. He is going 100% pretty much all of the time, even when he is clearly exhausted.
Downsides
I don’t know whether the shot is real or not. He has great range, but this is the only year where he has shot above 30% from three (technically). The shot definitely could be real, but it also could be similar to the Davion Mitchell situation where one year of good shooting percentages doesn’t translate to the NBA.
He definitely does a better job defending bigger players than most smaller guards, but he will be a mismatch target in certain situations in the NBA. That’s just a given for any smaller guard.
Conclusion
Best team fits: San Antonio, OKC, Milwaukee
Worst team fits: Nowhere, he’d be a good fit on any NBA team
Shades of: Derrick White, Josh Hart, Bruce Brown, Patrick Beverly

