Breaking Down the Good and the Bad of Devin Carter’s Return to Kings' Rotation

As the Sacramento Kings season has sunken further and further into development mode, Doug Christie continues to lean into younger lineups as the veterans take a backseat on the bench.

While the Kings don't have any true young stars to build around, they appear to have found rotational pieces in rookies Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell. It's always possible one of them turns into a star, but getting three NBA players in a single draft is impressive for Scott Perry.

While the rookies' positions in the franchise seem solidified, there's one young player on the roster who still feels like an enigma in Sacramento: Devin Carter.

Carter is in his second season, and his NBA career has yet to take off, even compared to the three new rookies from this season. He missed a large chunk of last season due to injury, only playing 36 games, and has been out of the rotation for the majority of this year, appearing in 20 games so far. He's averaging 6.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on 38.7% shooting from the field and 18.8% from three.

With Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis in Cleveland after the trade deadline, and Zach LaVine out for the season, Carter should have a real shot at making an impression as the Kings play out their final 26 games of the year. In the last seven games since he rejoined the rotation, we've already gotten more of a sample size than we've had over the last two years. So let's take a look at how Carter has performed over the seven games.

Improved Numbers, But Still Questions

Feb 11, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkić (30) looks to pass over Sacramento Kings guard Devin Carter (22) during the first half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images | Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

Carter has played 22.9 minutes per game over the last seven games for a total of 160 minutes. It's arguably the longest and most consistent stretch of playing time he's gotten throughout his first two years in the league, with the other option being the end of last year.

In the span, he's averaged 11.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, which are solid numbers in the nearly 23 minutes per contest. He's shown his patented hustle and athleticism that got him drafted 13th overall in last year's draft. But he's continued to struggle with his shooting.

He's shot 41.7% from the field, which is up from his season average, but just 14.3% from three with four makes in 28 attempts. The problem for him is that teams are daring him to shoot. They leave him open to help and go under on screens, and Carter hasn't been able to make them pay for it.

He's looked better when driving to the rim, but if Carter wants a long career with the Kings, or even in the NBA in general, he'll have to prove that he can knock down the deep ball with some sort of consistency. The troubling trend for Carter is that he struggled from beyond the arc last year at 29.5% as well, and even in his short stint in the G League this year he made just five of his 18 attempts.

The good news is that Carter is shooting 76.7% in the restricted area this season. And that number rises to 81% over the last seven games. When he gets downhill, which Christie has been urging him to do more of, he's able to get to the hoop and score or get to the line. It's a sign that there is positive offense for the young guard, but the question is, is it enough for the Kings to keep him in their plans long term? Or will be a move this offseason where Carter gets a fresh start in the NBA.

Only time will tell, but for now, we're at least getting to see a legitimate sample size for the sophomore guard. He has a lot of work to do, but there are some positive signs of life for his Kings tenure and career after a prolonged stretch on the end of the bench.

Improved Numbers, But Still Questions

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