Chicago Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr. is more of a traditional post man.
Nevertheless, the former Duke star has said that he wants to get more volume as a perimeter shooter (via Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago):
“Yeah, of course I do,” Carter said with a smile when asked if he liked taking 3s. On what's caused his recent uptick in attempts (averaging 1.2 per game over his last five): “Just my coaches being confident and my teammates telling me to shoot 'em.”
“It opens up driving lanes for my teammates, it just spaces the floor a lot better,” Carter said of the dimension his shooting adds to the Bulls' offense. “So I feel like it'll definitely help us in the future as I get more confident.”
In the right circumstance, he's absolutely right. Carter is already a proven high-energy rebounder, efficient finisher and crafty distributor from the perimeter (without mentioning his defensive prowess). If he can start to make teams pay for leaving him open beyond the arc, both he — individually — and the Bulls' offense — collectively — will benefit.
“When he's faced up, he has his feet down on a catch-and-shoot, I'd like him to take those open shots,” Boylen said. “I did not like the one where he dribbled out to the line, he knew it and I knew it, but that's the learning moment.”
Carter made 2-of-3 three-pointers during Saturday night's win over the Atlanta Hawks, and he has taken at least one trey in each of his last three games.
The point about floor spacing is crucial, mostly because Chicago's offense prioritizes Lauri Markkanen as a shooter and relies on Zach LaVine to be an inside-out scorer.
The Bulls are ninth in the NBA in three-point attempts, and perimeter shooting is clearly a major source of offense. Carter's ability to stretch the floor and be more of a dual-threat could make Chicago that much more dangerous as they hope to stay in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.
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