Indiana Pacers: Five Possible Second Round Options
By Kyle Nishida
Power Forward / Center Robert Carter
Robert Carter was one of four Maryland Terrapins who have had a workout with the Indiana Pacers. This second round prospect has the potential to be a good power forward in the NBA.
After playing two seasons at Georgia Tech, Carter transferred to Maryland. He was forced to miss the 2014-15 college basketball season because of the NCAA transfer rules.
When Carter finally played for the Terrapins, he put together a solid season. He averaged 12.3 points, 6.9 assists and 1.9 assists in his lone season with the team. He also was a very efficient shooter as he made 62.9% of his shots.
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The issues about Carter are lack of perimeter shooting and weight concerns. Most of Carter’s shots came from inside the paint. He is not close to being a reliable perimeter shooter yet despite improving in that area.
Meanwhile, Carter measured in with 12.5% body fat at the NBA combine, which is high for most post big men. One of Carter’s strengths is his mobility, but if he cannot control his weight, then that mobility will be limited.
Carter is listed as DraftExpress.com’s 44th best prospect in this year’s draft. The site’s Josh Riddell wrote this about Carter’s overall value.
"“Carter certainly has the look of a NBA big man with his impressive length, scoring instincts and solid mobility. The first step for him to break into a NBA rotation is to show he can be a consistent jump shooter and prove he can defend his position adequately. If he can do that while staying on top of his conditioning level, he has an excellent collection of skills that NBA teams value and he should be able to be productive within his role.”"
If the Pacers select a guard in the first round, Carter would be one of the first candidates for their 50th pick overall. He can score, and he is a versatile defender.
The Pacers have post players like Ian Mahinmi, Myles Turner, and Lavoy Allen, but none of them are really mobile players. They are better at defending traditional post players, and there is nothing wrong with that.
However, the NBA is moving towards more mobile forwards with smaller lineups. At 6-9 and with a 7-3 wingspan, Carter can guard perimeter players while also guard traditional post players. In fact, Carter played center whenever the Terrapins wanted to go small.
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Carter would give the Indiana Pacers more flexibility on their roster. They could player their tradition with him as a power forward or move him to center when they want to go small or play faster. Carter would be a good pick at 50th overall.