The Memphis Grizzlies get set to face the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. Jevon Carter has had been valuable against them in recent meetings and they need to make sure he’s out there again this time around.
For whatever reason, the Memphis Grizzlies have opted to not use Jevon Carter recently. He has shown this season he can still provide a spark despite his offensive struggles and they will need him out there against the Houston Rockets to help defend James Harden and Chris Paul.
Carter made his NBA Debut against the Rockets and he was impressive enough in that game that J.B. Bickerstaff decided to put him in the starting lineup in what was his first career NBA start in the next meeting against Houston. His ability to defend frustrates the opposing players and makes him worthy of being added back to the rotation.
His offense has certainly struggled this season but they knew that would happen when they drafted him 32 overall in last years NBA Draft. He was drafted because they knew he was an elite defensive player who will give 100% effort and that’s what he does. Yes, he does need to improve offensively to get a consistent role long-term but he has done enough to show that he deserves to get some minutes on this team.
In 28 games this season he is averaging just 3.3 points, 1.6 assists, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.8 steals in 15 minutes per game. The impact he makes is much more than any numbers can show, he continuously makes the hustle plays that very few players make.
His shooting percentages are very low though which is a big concern. He is shooting just 27% from the field, 27% from three-point range, and 69% from the free-throw line. Those are much lower than his college and G-League numbers so there are reasons to expect him to improve.
In college, he had percentages of 41% from the field, 36% from three-point range, and 80% from the free-throw line. While in the G-League his shooting percentages are 43% from the field, 38% from three-point range, and 86% from the free-throw line. There are a variety of reasons for these differences such as the three-point line distance and the weaker competition but at the end of the day, it still shows that he is capable of improving.
Aside from his play, there are also other reasons to at least give him a chance. He has such a large fanbase from his time at West Virginia and the Grizzlies fans have been embracing him as well as he has already proven himself to be a fan favorite in Memphis.
He does need to play better if he wants a long-term role but they need to find out what they have him in. Yes, he is a rookie but he isn’t your typical rookie that is going to take time to develop. He will take time to develop his offensive game and he will get better but at 23 years old he was supposed to be ready to go from the start.
Jevon Carter is a fan favorite but he still has to earn it just like everybody else. This team has a lot of talented players and currently, there aren’t enough minutes for everybody to get what they deserve. Carter has shown the ability to defend at a high level and provide hustle plays and for that reason alone he deserves to get minutes in Wednesday’s contest with the Rockets.