Carter was overshadowed by other five-star talent at Duke, but he remains one of several elite bigs in a frontcourt-heavy lottery discussion. Given the versatility of his skill set offensively, it shouldn’t be hard to build around him (or have him fit next to others) on that side of the ball.
Standing 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, Carter has an NBA-ready body and an elite post-up game, combining high-level footwork and soft touch on the block. He’s also a solid passer, earning him comparisons to Al Horford. He projects as a capable spot-up shooter from three-point range.
Defensively, the primary concern with Carter is his lateral quickness. He struggled to defend in space at Duke, which is an issue in the spaced-out version of today’s NBA. He’s a plus athlete and one of the highest-I.Q. bigs in the draft, though, so there’s reason to believe that part of his game can improve.