Wendell Carter Jr.

By: Lucas Kochevar

        The Bulls are a project, but they're on the right path with their front court. They drafted Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. to bolster their PF/C combo. Today I will be highlighting the play of Wendell Carter Jr. He stands undersized at 6'10 and 255 lb. Luckily for him, the NBA is shifting away from the big man so he wont have to deal with a Shaquille O'Neal or a Hakeem Olajuwon. The league values shooting and spacing. He only appeared in 44 games last year due to injury, but he has shown flashes of being a borderline all-star. 

        Carter Jr. averaged 10.3 points, 7 rebounds on 48%. The positives on him include his rim protecting and his positioning around the post. His shot blocking ability is underrated as he can get up to block some bigger players and he can move from one side of the basket to the other. He excels in rotations when he has to. He averaged 1.3 blocks in his time on the floor this year. He showed an ability to read where others are going.

        Another strength of Carter's is that he is a short time into his career and already talented in post moves. During the draft process this was his strength. He already had a good feel for the ball close to the basket. I can only see this skill getting more refined and stronger. He has the ceiling of a Joel Embiid when it comes to post moves. Another effect this can have is that Markkanen or others could get more open from three if defenders collapse on him. He can really provide a different dimension to the Bulls offensive sets. 

         A part of his game that can be drastically improved is his three-point shooting. He showed a small sample size over the course of his 44 games. He tried to provide a pick-n-pop element but ultimately was inefficient. Luckily for him, shooting comes more so with practice so therefore if he works as hard as he should, this part of his game can change the type of player he is. If, and this is a big if, he can add this element then I can see him turning into a player similar to Al Horford. Watch out for Wendell Carter's development and how he will fit with Markkanen and newly drafted PG Coby White. I am looking forward to catching a few Bull games on NBA TV.