Devin Carter’s experience and NBA pedigree could make him a fit for win-now Sixers

CHICAGO — Next month’s NBA draft will be one of the weakest in decades. But the 76ers believe they can still get value with their No.16 pick if they keep the selection.

A team looking to contend for an NBA title next season, the Sixers’ best fit would be a player capable of making an immediate impact. It would ideally be someone older, experienced, and familiar with the NBA game.

Devin Carter, son of former NBA player and current Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach Anthony Carter, believes he fits that profile.

“I think I’ll fit in pretty well,” said Carter, a junior shooting guard at Providence. “I like [Tyrese] Maxey. I like what he does on offense and everything. I thought I could be a good complement to him, especially spreading the floor, letting the ball breathe.

“When he draws two [defenders], kick it for an open three and also provide that defensive anchor. You know [being] somebody who can lock down other team’s best player and just getting team stops to get out in transition and go.”

While undersized at 6-foot-2 ¼, the 22-year-old has reason to be optimistic. Carter is the Big East player of the year after averaging 19.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 block while shooting 37.7% on three-pointers for the Friars.

He blossomed into one of college basketball’s most versatile and impactful defensive players after transferring to Providence following his freshman season at South Carolina. Carter also became an improved shooter and better shot creator this past season under first-year coach Kim English.

“It’s more of the confidence thing,” said Carter, who shot 29.9% from three as a sophomore. “Kim, the first day he got the job, he told me he wanted me to shoot seven threes at minimum a game. When a head coach goes to tell you that, you know that you are better suited than what you usually shoot.”

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The hard work the Miami native put in the gym last summer also helped. Now, Carter is eager to prove he can create his own shot.

“The narrative for people who say I can’t dribble or anything,” he said. “I get to my spots. I get to where I want to go. It might not look like Kyrie [Irving’s] handles. But I think I can handle the ball, get to where I want to go, and create shots for other people and create shots for myself.”

Handle aside, Carter’s defense and rebounding could fill immediate needs for the Sixers. Opposing guards routinely rained wide-open threes last season, and their inability to keep the New York Knicks off the offensive glass played a major part in the team’s first-round elimination.

Carter was told he could be a solid rebounder during his freshman and sophomore campaigns, but made good on that ability later in his career.

“My junior year I actually committed to crashing and rebounding shots,” he said. “And I think I just have a knack for finding the ball. I watch where the ball is going, I watch the flight of the ball, and I check to see if my man is going. If he’s not going, he’s usually the point guard or shooting guard. So [when] he’s getting back [in transition], I just go crash.”

Carter believes playing elite defense enables players to get minutes whether they’re making shots or not. That’s why he takes pride in that side of the ball and even gets upset when opponents score on him. Carter also realizes defensive stops are the easiest way to set up transition baskets at the other end.

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He gets his approach from his father.

Anthony Carter played 13 seasons as a dependable role player after going undrafted out of Hawaii. The point guard averaged 4.8 points, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steal in 623 combined games with the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors.

He joined the assistant coaching ranks in September 2013, one season after concluding his playing career. Anthony Carter has been with the Grizzlies the past two seasons.

In addition to having an NBA father to lean on, Carter feels his basketball journey makes him a plug-and-play player for teams like the Sixers.

After his senior season at Doral Academy Preparatory School was cut short due to shoulder injury, Carter opted to do a postgraduate year at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire rather than going straight to South Carolina. He then enrolled at USC in 2021 and averaged 9.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in 30 games as a freshman.

Carter entered the transfer portal in March 2022 before playing a combined 66 games in two seasons at Providence.

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“Just being older, you’ve been around a long time,” he said. “I played almost 100 college games, and that’s a lot of experience. Like I said, once I get used to the game speed of the NBA, I think it’s only going to go up from there. Whatever team drafts me, I’m just ready to go there, play hard and get to work.”

Note

The draft will be held on June 26-27. The first round will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on the first day. The second round will take place at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in downtown New York on the final day.