Where Does Magic Center Wendell Carter Jr. Need to Improve?
As the defensive anchor for the Orlando Magic, Wendell Carter Jr. was strong last season. But he knows there is room to grow.
“For myself, defensively being able to guard one through five,” Carter said last month. “Getting in better shape and building off my confidence that I started to tap into at the end of last season. Those last 30 games, I felt like I definitely tapped into a different side of myself.”
The 23-year-old is coming off a year where he posted career-highs in points (15.0), rebounds (10.5), assists (2.8) and 3PM (1.1), along with the aforementioned confidence boost throughout the second-half of the season, which upped those totals to 19.6 points and 11.6 rebounds post All Star Break.
As one of the league's most versatile big men, Carter ranked in the 99th percentile among centers in time spent defending shooting guards, along with the 90th percentile in time spent guarding small forwards.
And in those moments guarding smaller players on the perimeter, he did not disappoint, allowing the second least points per isolation possession in the league.
With Carter under contract until 2026, the Magic has the time and capabilities to develop a starting lineup that includes three players over 6-10 with him, Franz Wagner and No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero, on top of the hopeful return of Jonathan Isaac.
“As a team, our potential is through the roof,” Carter said. “With another year for all the young guys in our team under their belts, they’re going to come back better. I think the biggest thing for us is going to be being injury free. Taking care of our bodies a little bit better to make sure we’re able to play all eighty-two.”
After holding one of the league’s best defensive efficiencies over the final month of the last season, the Magic and Carter will look to carry that momentum into next year.
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