Ever since returning from a shoulder injury, Michael Carter-Williams has been under the microscope of many in Philadelphia. “He can’t shoot, all he does is turn the ball over, he’s not a star.”
Things like the above are some of the things that are said about Carter-Williams quite religiously. It’s as if people treat the point guard like he does nothing good when he’s on the basketball court. I’ll admit that the former lottery pick is far from perfect, but it’s asinine to act like he’s a bad basketball player.
One of the things I’ll point to is his improvement in scoring the basketball at the rim and from 10-16 feet. Remember that he wasn’t able to really work on his game during the off season due to the shoulder surgery, but he did put on around 11 or 12 pounds of body weight. This body weight has already payed off dividends for Carter-Williams, as his shooting percentages from 0-16 feet have increased from his Rookie of the Year campaign.
This chart from basketball-reference.com highlights his increased shooting percentages. From 0-3 feet, Carter-Williams is shooting almost 60 percent, compared to 55 percent from his rookie year. While shooting less than 40 percent from 3-10 and 10-16 feet is not ideal, his percentages are still rising. Who knows if Carter-Williams will ever be able to develop a consistent three-point shot, but from what I have from him this season, most of his attempts are not forced. However, one thing MCW needs to put the breaks on are the mid-range pull-up jumpers — these are no good.
The improvements may be minimal, but it’s still an increase from his rookie season. The increased weight on his frame has without a doubt benefited MCW and his ability to convert more at the rim.
On his shooting, Carter-Williams is taking 15.3 field goals per game, which is only up .3 attempts from last season. Most of his statistics from this season are mirroring his rookie year, with slight improvements or decreases. The points are down (16.7 to 15.2), but the assists are up (6.3 to 7.3) along with the turnovers (3.5 to 4.6). The turnovers may be the 6’6″ guard trying to do to much, or trying to deal with the lack of talent he has on his team. In a nutshell, Carter-Williams appears to be close to the same player he was last year statistically, with minor upticks in very specific areas.
This shot chart from StatMuse.com shows how Carter-Williams has fared this season. The darker shooting percentages mean MCW is shooting closer to the league average. Comparing this to his shot chart from last season, Carter-Williams has a lot more darker blue areas around the rim, when he had more light blue and blue areas. However, notice all of the spots that signify his slight obsession with the mid-range jumper. Nearly all of these spots are light blue, which show a very low shooting percentage. Obviously, there’s give and take with Carter-Williams. However, the unfortunate injury that sidelined him all summer may be why we see subtle changes in his percentages, but nothing overwhelming.
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If you grasp anything from this article, just realize that Carter-Williams is still an extremely young player that has a lot of potential. He will only become something noteworthy if he can grasp his potential and there is a never-ending list of players who never reached their potential. He’s shown small improvements this season, some that may not be visible to the naked eye, but they are there.
Carter-Williams is not even 100 games into his NBA career yet, so I preach a little more patience for fans who are beginning to become upset with his play. He has a very tough task of being the head of a team that is lacking of real talent. Yes, he becomes frustrated at times, but wouldn’t we all if we were the head of a company that was headed straight for the dumpster? If we are willing to give 76ers GM Sam Hinkie three or four years to build a winner, let’s give Michael Carter-Williams the same time to become an above-average point guard.