Memphis Grizzlies Rookie Jevon Carter Resembles Past Point Guards

Memphis Grizzlies rookie guard Jevon Carter is set to put the league on notice with his unique style of play in 2018. What are expectations for Carter?

I still look back at this draft in amazement. The Memphis Grizzlies were able to land two guys who are very probable to end up as NBA all defense guys. Thing is, Jevon Carter like his peer Jaren Jackson Jr., is so much more talented than just a defensive players.

Now, I’ve developed a reputation for being the toughest critic of my own favorite teams players, so I don’t speak loosely when I say Carter also has offensive potential to be a very special two way player. Looking back on his summer league performances where he averaged only seven points per game in Utah but in Las Vegas had games of 35/6/5 shows me how much he can produce when given space & opportunity.

The Jevon Carter college history briefing

Going back a bit further to his West Virginia days only confirms this take. As a Mountaineer Carter’s career stat line after 144 games is 12 points per game four assists & four rebounds per game a stat line that indicates a play-maker archetype if nothing else.

The kicker is that he averaged this over a full four year career in which he improved statistically every year. His senior year Jevon averaged 17 points, seven assists & five rebounds per game. His freshman year he averaged eight points per game along with two rebounds, two assists, but a whopping two steals per game. In short, Carter was a do it all player at West Virginia

Though he only shot 31% from three as a freshman, he improved every season by at least three points. Jevon getting to 40% his senior three point percentage shows drastic growth. His freshman year he played with guys who mostly had scoring mentalities so Carter earned his name picking pockets like a thief in the night.

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His sophomore year he slightly improved to average nine and a half points per game & took a good leap his junior year at 13.5 points per game before topping out at 17 his senior season & also shooting 40% from downtown. Going from 31% to 40% means he went from a guy that was capable of, to money in the bank from downtown.

Carter has a three point shot he makes on the dribble or in a catch and shoot situation. Add that with his lock jaw pit bull defense & one wonders how the kid slipped to 32 anyway. Jevon was also the leader of that Bob Huggins lead squad which speaks even more volumes about his character. Another great example in the Memphis Grizzlies locker room.

The three headed monster comparison

So many have compared Jevon Carter to Patrick Beverley of the Los Angeles Clippers. I see that, too, but more so as a part of his floor which is a good floor. Jevon Carter’s potential can be best described as a trio of three different point guards. Beverley is one of the three-headed monster because like Beverley, Carter plays pit bull defense and has a reputation for picking up the ball-handler full-court like Nolan Richardson’s “40 minutes of hell.”

I also see a lot of the Grizzlies’ own point guard Mike Conley in his game. Jevon, like Conley, is a rather quiet fella. Neither one is a Rajon Rondo level passer (only a few in NBA history are) but Jevon like Mike is an excellent ball-handler, with sauce on the dribble and a crafty player with very deceptive quickness. Their finishing ability is superb. Both also lead more by example naturally.

Another comparison for Jevon Carter is Tim Hardaway Sr. Not only does Carter share the exact same body build as Tim Hardaway but he also plays nearly identical to Hardaway, so much so that Jevon’s senior season stats are nearly identical with Tim’s pro career statistics. Jevon’s hesitation crossover is also very similar to the legendary “Utep 2 step.”

Also like Tim Hardaway, Jevon is a an excellent finisher around the basket, one who can finish strong in traffic with either hand as well as a flare for flash. Like Timmy Sr. Both he & Jevon are essentially bowling balls attacking the basket. When you consider Jevon is totally a blend of all three players in one person, I really question what scouts were looking at when ranking him. I’m calling it now, Jevon Carter has all star potential, maybe even more so than Mike Conley.

An underrated skill of Jevon is his rebounding which creates opportunities itself. Jevon’s college career rebound average is four per game & he averaged essentially five rebounds per game in college as a senior & did the same in summer league. Jevon flies to the basket when the ball comes off the rim & his very good timing allows him to swoop in securing rebounds at the rate of a decent big man.

The drawbacks & reservations

A concern with Carter if anything would be his lack of assertiveness offensively at times for starters. Never one to lack in effort, but sometimes unselfish to a fault on offense. His Utah summer league stat line of seven points three assists & three rebounds.

Some may argue it as a lack of offensive confidence at times but even if so it’s something that can be fixed. Another knack if we are nit picking is that Jevon maybe a solid passer, but maybe not one to inflate his teammates numbers or make them better statistically. He averaged a very solid 6.6 assists per game in college as a senior & didn’t dominate the basketball to do so, thing is his is last season at West Virginia saw three guys average at least 10 points per game with the fourth leading scorer averaging just under 10 points per game. That’s pretty good considering Bob Huggins runs an older version of the motion offense.

Another fun fact to back this claim up is that three players averaged at least two assists per game which is very impressive. He isn’t Rajon Rondo or Scott Skiles as a passer but very much so already showing the potential to be a reliable floor general. It’s hard to say he isn’t capable of improving as passer because he has always shown improvement.

A definite issue of Carter is that he’s a late bloomer. In Utah summer league, Carter averaged a ‘measley’ 6.7 points per game along with three assists & three rebounds per game. Yet in Vegas, Carter looked more like Golden State Tim Hardaway as he went off for 35 & had multiple 20 points games. This adds up with the same guy who In college, went from eight points to more than doubling it by his senior year with improvement every step of the way. One would say, “Well what’s wrong with that?” Nothing but one worries how much time does he need to peak & will his peak match his potential?

I have a feeling Jevon is gonna be a stud, his rookie year may not allow much opportunity with Shelvin Mack, Mike Conley & Andrew Harrison all expected to get minutes at point guard so we have to be patient.