Discussions have been intense in recent days around the Kings' first round of Draft. Monte McNair and his team had thus considered the possibility of parting with the 13th choice of the 2024 Draft, without succeeding, notably in the failed exchange for Alex Caruso.
“We had an intense night and days, as always, because we don’t know how the Draft is going to go, you don’t know what the opportunities will be”, explains McNair. “We plan a lot of scenarios, a lot of what-ifs: 'What are the decisions we might face?' Ultimately, Devin was very high on our board and we didn't expect to have him in 13th place. Since he was available, we decided to pick him up and add him to our group. »
Indeed, the Kings have set their sights on Devin Carter who played on the back line of Providence. For his last year in the NCAA, the son of Anthony Carter had clearly progressed to the point of accumulating 19.7 points on 47.3% shooting, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists in 35 minutes on average.
“As I’ve always said, you don’t choose in the Draft thinking that a player will have an immediate impact. The Draft is about adding someone to our team who can stay here for a long time, and we try to bring in the best player available.”, details the Kings GM. “ Devin Carter checks all the boxes. If you watched the playoffs this year, there's a lot of Devin Carter. I repeat, we couldn't pass up a guy like that. »
A “3-and-D” future?
With Devin Carter, the Kings have secured the services of a strong defender who will need to be polished on offense. Decent 3-point shooter (38% behind the arc), he will have to repeat this kind of performance to demonstrate that he does not know how to defend, but also to find a place in the rotation behind Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, Keon Ellis or Chris Duarte.
“He’s exactly the type of guy we’re always looking for.” He is exemplary on and off the field, he can play with or without the ball, on both ends of the field and, frankly, he is just a winner,” continues McNair. “He was the heart of Providence this season. He improved his shooting. He's someone who has always caught the attention of our scouts and our specialists for everything he does on the court.”
For his part, Carter had good feelings during tryouts and discussions with the franchise and is not surprised to join Sacramento.
“Deep inside, I felt that it was the team that was going to choose me”admits the player. “I felt like I had a really good workout with them, like the meetings and everything else with the leadership. Everything was perfect in my eyes, and I think it will work. »
