NBA Draft: Re-drafting the historic 2009 NBA Draft

I’ve said this elsewhere on other sites, but the two most valued commodities in this 3-point-friendly NBA are players who can create their own shot and lanky wings who can defend multiple positions and knock down open triples when said shot creators attract the attention of the defense. DeMarre Carroll is in the latter category.

Taken 27th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies, Carroll was another “college veteran” afterthought, but he would eventually make a name for himself as a 3-and-D wing with the infamous out-of-nowhere 60-win Atlanta Hawks in 2014-15. He has since parlayed that into some equally respectable runs with the Toronto Raptors and the Brooklyn Nets.

If Carroll were evaluated properly, the then-Charlotte Bobcats would’ve nabbed him with the 12th overall pick. Had Charlotte made that move, Carroll could have further bolstered a defense that ultimately finished first in points allowed per 100 possessions and helped the Bobcats make the playoffs for what was at that point the first time in franchise history (the team has since changed its name to the Hornets and absorbed that franchise’s history).

At this point in most drafts, teams aren’t necessarily looking for the next superstar, instead opting to hunt for a complementary starter that supplements the established names on the roster.

The Bobcats weren’t going to find a generational talent at No. 12, so a move like this would’ve made sense. He wasn’t the athlete that Gerald Wallace was, but what he relatively lacked in that department wouldn’t have mattered much given his long-range shooting abilities.