Wendell Carter Jr. wants to be a Renaissance man

Wendell Carter Jr. is wired differently. He nearly joined Harvard over Duke and he willingly sacrificed his stats for his team. Now he has to stand out.

Wendell Carter Jr. was one of the most sought-after players in high school — ranked No. 7 by Scout. Before deciding on going to the Duke Blue Devils he held offers from the Kentucky Wildcats, Florida Gators and North Carolina Tar Heels among plenty others. The Georgia native had offers from virtually every major ACC and SEC school.

And Harvard.

That lone outlier both geographically and athletically. The Harvard Crimson have produced their share of NBA players — although Jeremy Lin is the only modern one. And they have a great coach in Tommy Amaker, a former Duke player too.

But this is not where the very best players in high school basketball go to. Even if they want to be a big fish in a small pond.

It speaks to just how different Wendell Carter is from some of his peers. it shows in his aspirations and goals and how he carried himself on the court.

"“It was a great possibility,” Carter said of considering Harvard. “I want to be a Renaissance man and do something different. I wanted to be a trail blazer, that is what I was thinking about the whole time.”"

Carter always seems to do things a bit differently. Unlike the other players likely to go around him, he does not have the buzz about him or the highlight reel of plays. Instead, he is a picture of consistency and versatility. Someone who just does his job and does it well.

The common complaint about Carter is he simply did not stand out on the court enough on his own. That he did not possess “superstar” potential. Not like some of the other players in this Draft. There is a perception about him that he does not have everything a growing star-hungry team like the Orlando Magic need.

Never mind that despite playing a secondary role, he nearly averaged a double-double with 13.5 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game. And he added on 2.1 blocks per game and an encouraging 41.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

He recorded the third-longest wingspan among likely first-round picks, behind only Mohamed Bamba and Jaren Jackson Jr. Carter filled in as many gaps as he could for Duke, proving to be their defensive rock and an offensive filler, able to hit jumpers and score in the post.

Carter may end up being the Jack-of-all-trades player every Draft experience. He is too good at a whole lot of things to stand out particularly in any one thing.

Of course, the question is whether he can do all those things at a high enough level to justify where he is likely to get picked. That could very well be with the sixth pick to the Orlando Magic.

The Magic held an individual workout with him Friday at the Amway Center.

"“I really don’t like to talk about it, I just like to show it,” Carter said after saying he believes he is the best big man in this draft. “I could say I’m the most versatile big. I’m more about actions instead of words.”"

Carter seems to have a feeling of the direction the league is headed with big men and what he needs to work on.

Already considered a strong defender on the perimeter and jump shooter for his position, Carter said he has continued to work on those aspects of his game since the season ended. To be sure, whoever drafts Carter is essentially betting on him being able to be an interchangeable player defensively.

Carter said he believes he showed enough of his offense at Duke. But still, a lot of it was hidden from public view. He said he showed he could play alongside other great players and do what his team needed to succeed. But he clearly believes there is more to his game.

Eventually, Carter will have his chance to show he can be a lot more than he was at Duke. He will get his chance to stand out. And all those varied skills will have to come together.

Eventually, Carter will have to stand out. It seems like he is ready to break out from his shell.

Carter even said his suit would be something no one has seen before. His game has rarely done the talking in exclamation points.

That is the part that will have to change for him, of course. Temas will be looking for something a little bit more than solid every night. If anything, that is his floor. Teams want something more.

That is all part of what Carter has to prove. He has had the best guidance to get there.

"“He just told me to live in the moment,” Carter said of the advice he received from coach Mike Krzyzewski. “If you have a bad workout or you’ve got workouts ahead, stay focused on the moment. Stay focused on what’s at stake. While I was here, I didn’t worry about any of my other workouts or worry about six days from now. I just did the best I could in this moment.”"

Carter seems to have the countenance to accomplish that.

Clearly, Carter is wired a bit differently. Maybe that resonates with NBA executives. They want someone who willingly sacrificed himself and appreciated doing the dirty work and grinding to make his team better.

Maybe he can do much more. But maybe that is not enough for a team to consider him for such a high pick.

Next: 2018 NBA Draft Preview: Who is Marvin Bagley III?

These are all the questions and issues Carter tried to answer as his workouts continued and the NBA Draft approaches ever closer.