Devin Carter was one of the biggest risers throughout the pre-draft process, as he went from a potential first-round pick to a sure-thing lottery pick. It was the Sacramento Kings that ended up with the two-way combo guard, as he replaces Davion Mitchell, who was recently traded to the Toronto Raptors. Carter is going to provide some much-needed depth in the Kings backcourt behind De'Aaron Fox, but it is unknown when he will make his rookie debut after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Even with a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Carter was still able to impress many teams ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, this is an injury that needed to be addressed, as the Kings announced on Thursday that the 22-year-old underwent successful shoulder surgery and would be re-evaluated in six months. This means Carter will be off the court and miss close to the first half of his rookie campaign.
Although no player likes to enter the league having to watch from the sidelines, Carter has been in good spirits based on his interactions on social media. In fact, the Kings new guard has already become a fan favorite with his motivational messages after surgery.
“Sac! Thank you for believing in me,” Carter posted on social media. “I’ll be back soon and can’t wait to show y'all this dawg you have.”
Carter also posted a picture of his surgically repaired shoulder while laying in the hospital bed, simply saying, “Light the beam.”
The Kings rookie spent the last two seasons at Providence, yet it was what he did this past season that caught the attention of NBA scouts and personnel. With an injured shoulder, Carter managed to average 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 37.7 percent from three-point range.
He led the Big East in scoring while also registering 1.8 steals per game on the defensive end of the court.
Devin Carter adds to Kings big offseason changes
This has been a big offseason for the Kings as a whole. Aside from drafting Carter and moving on from Mitchell to free up some wiggle room financially, the Kings also re-signed sixth man Malik Monk and acquired All-Star wing DeMar DeRozan from the Chicago Bulls in a sign-and-trade.
DeRozan, who led the league in clutch-time scoring this past season, will now play alongside De'Aaron Fox, who was named the 2022-23 NBA Clutch Player of the Year. These two closers will be vital to Sacramento's success and their chances of making it back to the postseason.
As for Carter, he will be ready to return to the court sometime in 2025. It is more likely than not that he will be held out through the All-Star break in February.
When Carter is ready to return to basketball activities, he will provide the Kings with stability, secondary scoring, and a strong defensive presence in their backcourt. Sacramento was not a strong defensive team last season, nor did they receive a ton of production from their bench unit. These are two areas in which Carter will immediately boost his new team.
The Kings will provide further updates on Carter's status when appropriate.
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