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

By Max Mortenson

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ORLANDO, FL – APRIL 18: Wendell Carter Jr. #34 of the Orlando Magic attempts a shot as Kelly Olynyk #41 of the Houston Rockets defends during the first half at Amway Center on April 18, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. 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 Alex Menendez/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL – APRIL 18: Wendell Carter Jr. #34 of the Orlando Magic attempts a shot as Kelly Olynyk #41 of the Houston Rockets defends during the first half at Amway Center on April 18, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. 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 Alex Menendez/Getty Images) /

Filling the Scoring Void

Wendell Carter Jr.’s defense has undoubtedly been his calling card in both his NBA career and short stint with the Magic, but his offensive capabilities have impressed Steve Clifford and the staff. Following the Magic’s win in Chicago against his former team, Clifford commented specifically on Carter Jr.’s offensive play through his first 11 games on the roster. That is not the first time he has praised Carter’s poise and feel for the game.

Poise is a wonderful way to describe Carter’s early offensive play with the Magic so far.

He never seems rushed or anxious, and he allows the game to come to him. These kinds of hyperbole are used often, but rarely is the sentiment unanimous for a player in his junior season.

In his return to Chicago, less than a month since he wore a Bulls uniform, Carter put on a display for his former teammates. In particular, his dominance showcasing his pure strength was eye-catching.

The play call is a big-big pin-down screen, part of Steve Clifford’s elbow series. The beauty of this play is that Wendell Carter’s defender knows the action — Nikola Vucevic had been sniffing out Orlando’s sets throughout the game. To an uninformed viewer, these details are unnoticeable.

Knowing that Nikola Vucevic is anticipating the play, Wendell Carter shows great intuition in flaring off the screen from Chuma Okeke and making a strong move at the catch to leave him off guard.

A couple of minutes later, he shows similar toughness in sealing out the Bulls’ Tomas Satoransky, then using his agility to beat Nikola Vucevic to the loose ball and snare two more points in what turned out to be a close finish in Chicago.

But he has not solely been scoring over opponents using his muscle. Carter has also developed an ability to create shots for himself and his teammates in isolation.

In space, he has shown the biggest development in his ability to face up and create off the dribble, an area of weakness for him early in his career.

Alex Len is by no means an agile defender, but Carter uses a simple hesitation to create an opening and then explodes with two dribbles toward the paint. For a lot of big men, this move is usually a single or two-dribble pull-up from the mid-range. Carter shows determination by not settling.

The next step for Carter is to further develop his outside shot, both the catch-and-shoot and off-the-dribble varieties.

His 29-percent efficiency from behind the arc in 13 games has underwhelmed. But the Magic should be excited by his efficiency at the rim — 76-percent, which is in the 88th percentile among all big men, per Cleaning the Glass.

With Cole Anthony still recovering from injury and Terrence Ross in a difficult shooting slump since the All-Star break, there are plenty of opportunities for Carter to get more repetitions.