How will the Brooklyn Nets fill their guard rotation without Kyrie?

Discarded and underutilized, Jevon Carter found his perfect fit in Brooklyn

Trivia time — Who do you think logged the most minutes for Brooklyn this preseason? I’ll give you some hints: He’s a 6’1″ point guard with the strength of a rottweiler and determination that’s sure to impress the team’s Big 3 of basketball purists.

Now on his third team in four years, Jevon Carter profiles as the perfect third-string point guard for this team. His skill-set is quite specific, but the 26-year-old’s basketball intelligence is wise beyond his years and his identity as a hard-nosed, energetic floor general fills a legitimate need for one of basketball’s deepest rotations.

For an average team, Carter would serve as a capable bench guard whose defensive intensity supplements a somewhat limited scoring upside. In Brooklyn, there are legitimate reasons to believe Carter is the right pick to start at point guard until Irving is vaccinated or traded.

During his four-year college career at West Virginia, Carter earned two Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year awards for his smothering on-ball defense coupled with active hands that swat shots and rip crossovers with ease. His scoring increased slowly and steadily along with improved 3-point efficiency which peaked once he became an upperclassman.

In the NBA, Carter has taken a bit of time to adjust; but he’s ultimately become a capable deep shooter. He excels when given a chance to spot up for his jumper instead of having to create it himself. Last season, he benefited from playing in an up-tempo Phoenix Suns offense that led to his A- 3-point shot quality rating from B-Ball Index.

If you thought he was getting great shots in Phoenix, wait until he starts playing off of Harden and Durant. After hitting 37.1 percent of 151 3-point attempts last season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Carter surpass the 40 percent mark in Brooklyn. It can be argued that no one draws more defensive attention than Harden and Durant do, which automatically improves shot quality for the rest of their teammates. Tack on Steve Nash’s selfless offense predicated on ball movement and you’ve got a recipe for Carter’s success.

Despite his excellent offensive fit with Harden and Durant, it’s the defense that makes him a logical fit at the starting point guard spot. Carter ranked in the 92nd percentile of both steals and deflections per 75 possessions last season because of his affinity for getting after the rock. On a team with two of the greatest scorers in NBA history, Carter can hone in and do what he does best: Get after it as a blistering defensive stalwart.

Having Irving out of the lineup is certainly less than ideal, but if the Nets end up giving Carter between 19-25 minutes per game, I’d guarantee they’ll be better off defensively than they would’ve been with Irving in the lineup. It’s easy to get caught up in the dazzling scoring displays of the modern league, but nothing puts a team on track for championship contention more than elite defensive play.

BONUS CONSIDERATIONS:

• Bruce Brown has a history of playing spot minutes at point guard. Considering his withstanding chemistry with the Nets’ core, it would be unsurprising to see his minutes increase as a result of Kyrie’s absence.
• Cam Thomas is a walking bucket and the fact that he slipped into the late 20s in this year’s draft is an absolute travesty. Still, Thomas has a long way to go before being more than a zero in the playmaking category.
• Brooklyn has a ton of playmaking from its frontcourt between Durant, Brown, and Paul Millsap. They don’t necessarily need to rely on the point guard position for playmaking.