What the Orlando Magic have learned
Wendell Carter is taking the next step
When it comes to Wendell Carter, it is looking like the Orlando Magic made a great investment.
In the offseason, we wondered which Magic players would stick through the rebuild and which players would find a home somewhere else. We speculated about Wendell Carter’s contract, but the Magic put that to rest before the first game tipped with a four-year, $50-million extension.
It turns out paying Carter before this season was a great move because he is already outperforming that contract.
In 24 games played, Carter is averaging 13.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He is doing this in only 28 minutes per game and on less than 10 shots per game. If anything, Magic fans and the Magic themselves need to find ways to get Carter even more involved.
In other words, Carter is efficient. He is shooting 51.6-percent from the field and a staggering 35.7-percent from behind the arc.
His game is continuing to expand as he is taking more than double the amount of threes per game as he’s ever attempted in a single season.
It is safe to say the modern NBA is great for Carter and his game is evolving even faster than the team originally planned. He is really the perfect big man for today’s game.
Carter is just big enough to make a difference in the paint, but just lean enough to run end to end with no trouble. He can catch the lob if needed and even step out and knock down shots from the mid-range and beyond.
Surprisingly enough, Carter has even shown the ability to put the ball on the ground and create. He even mixed in a couple step-back jumpers as of late.
Defensively, Carter has quick enough feet to move on the perimeter and switch if needed. This mean’s he will not get played off the floor by small ball.
There are still areas to improve. It would be good for Carter to dominate more inside and set the tone even more on the defensive end, but that could still come.
What the Orlando Magic care about now is Carter is showing real signs of improvement, something that just was not happening for him during his time with the Chicago Bulls.
Wendell Carter is finally living up to his seventh overall selection and the scary thing is he is still only 23.