Orlando Magic Daily
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Orlando Magic Playbook: Wendell Carter has shown immediate promise

By Max Mortenson

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LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 28: Talen Horton-Tucker #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers elevates for a dunk against Wendell Carter Jr. #34 of the Orlando Magic during the first half of the game at Staples Center on March 28, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 28: Talen Horton-Tucker #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers elevates for a dunk against Wendell Carter Jr. #34 of the Orlando Magic during the first half of the game at Staples Center on March 28, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

Anchoring the Defense

Wendell Carter Jr. came into the NBA with expectations he could be the quintessential modern big, with the size to guard up to center and the lateral quickness to cover power forwards. He was projected to have elite versatility that only a handful of players possess.

While these expectations proved prescient even during his time with the Chicago Bulls, Carter has another level of defensive impact so far with the Orlando Magic.

Since the trade deadline, the Magic are giving up 116.8 points per 100 possessions. With Carter on the floor, that number drops to 111.8 points per 100 possessions. Not a great number still, but compared to other players on the team, a strong indicator of Carter’s defensive impact.

His defensive impact in the paint is also pretty telling. According to data from Basketball Index this season, Carter contests 47.0-percent of the shots at the rim while he is in the game, one of the highest marks in the league. Teams still dare to go at him even though teams shoot 9.60 percentage points worse at the rim against their expected field goal percentage.

Carter saves roughly 0.16 points at the rim per 75 possessions, placing him in the top quarter of the league in that metric.

In a single possession against the LA Clippers, he displayed all of the actualized potential that intrigued NBA talent evaluators just three years prior:

Wendell Carter begins this play on Ivica Zubac, a true seven-footer, before hedging out onto Kawhi Leonard on the ice ball screen coverage (an ice is when the defense tries to force the pick and roll to the corner, thus isolating him from the rest of the action on the floor). He shows a cerebral understanding of the court and does not allow Leonard to drive baseline — staying with him until the trap is executed in the corner.

Once Leonard relocates the ball to the top of the key, Carter recovers to meet Zubac in the restricted area. Somehow, he is able to get around the Clippers’ big man to barely deflect the shot and seal the win for the Magic.

A week later against the Denver Nuggets, he had the same all-around impact against MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic.

In particular, his team defensive help principles have elevated the Magic’s ability to defend single-coverage post-up actions and spread pick-and-roll, simultaneously.

Here, Wendell Carter feints a strong side defense to trick Will Barton into lobbing the ball to Nikola Jokic’s right hand and then quickly swivels around to poke it free to start a Magic fast break.

On the next possession, he shows textbook awareness — seeing both man and ball — ensuring that he will be able to react if Barton tries to use his speed to get to the basket. At a moment’s notice, Cater drops his coverage to slide over and beat Barton to the restricted area, all while maintaining the poise to remain vertical and not chase a blocked shot.

These intricate details appear commonplace when highlighted from hand-picked 15-second clips, but they take most players a decade to internalize at the NBA level. Carter’s immediate ability to impact games as a defensive stalwart shows that he has high the potential to become one of the league’s best defensive players.