A look at what Providence will be getting with the transfer from South Carolina
Devin Carter
Height: 6-3
Former School: South Carolina
New School: Providence
Years Remaining: Three
Recruiting Ranking: 86th
For the second year in a row, Ed Cooley is hoping to have struck gold with a transfer from South Carolina. This time, the potential gem will have more than just one season to leave a mark on Friartown.
Devin Carter will attempt to follow in the shoes of Justin Minaya, a defensive standout who transferred from the Gamecocks to Providence last year for his final season. Carter’s game has much more in common with the other veteran to transfer to Providence last season, Al Durham.
It didn’t take long for Carter, a top-100 recruit, to make an impact at South Carolina. He scored 16 points with eight rebounds and four assists in just his third game in Columbia. Carter would average 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on the season, starting seven games and playing just under 19 minutes per game. Those numbers would be good enough for a slot on the SEC All-Freshman team.
What’s His Game?
Carter is a downhill player, plain and simple. He likes to take the ball to the rack, as evidenced by the number of shots taken at the rim and number of fouls drawn.
In his freshman year, more than 40 percent of Carter’s attempts came close to the basket. He made as many dunks, 16, as he did three-pointers. By attacking the rim, Carter finished last season 18th in the country in fouls drawn per 40 minutes according to KenPom.com. That helped get him to the line 112 times.
Carter was more than capable of running the show and using his drive game to set up teammates. He ranked 455th in assist rate and finished the season with 54 assists.
When Carter didn’t have the ball, he was good at finding it. Listed at 6-3, the Miami-native plays like a larger player – and that’s not just because of the hair. Carter averaged more rebounds last season than any Providence guard. Al Durham was the closest with 3.4 per game, but that was still 0.4 rebounds short on 15 more minutes per game.
Oh, and he can rebound, too. pic.twitter.com/3FXpmzdDIw
— Matt St. Jean (@mattstdream) April 22, 2022
Against Florida State, Carter extended for this offensive rebound and scored the putback. This was one of his three offensive boards in that game. Carter finished his freshman year with 34 offensive rebounds, more than any Providence guard in the past two seasons. You have to go back to Alpha Diallo to find another guard to hit that number, and he was 6-7.
The Friars are getting an explosive athlete from South Carolina, one with impressive ability to play around the basket.
Carter can work to improve his game as a shooter. He shot below 30 percent from the outside and below 70 percent from the free throw line in his first season. Both of those numbers will need to improve, but Carter has three years of eligibility remaining to bump them up. If he can become an improved shooter, Carter will find more space to drive and will be able to capitalize on drawn fouls more often.
What’s His Role?
Devin Carter projects as Providence’s sixth man ahead of the 2022-23 season. With Jared Bynum returning and veteran Noah Locke also joining the program, the top two slots on the depth chart are likely locked in. That leaves Carter to battle with Alyn Breed as the next guard up. Fellow transfer Corey Floyd Jr. and incoming freshmen Jayden Pierre and Quante Berry could also factor into playing time.
Carter’s play style makes him a fit for the role Al Durham played a season ago. Durham facilitated the offense while remaining a threat to drive, and he went to the free throw line nearly 200 times. It is unlikely he plays the 34 minutes per game Durham did last season, the 27 minutes per game averaged by Big East Sixth Man of the Year Jared Bynum may be a more reasonable expectation. My guess is Carter plays between 20 and 25 minutes per game in his first season in Providence before developing into an expanded role in the following seasons.