Forgotten box-score series: Michael Carter-Williams’ epic NBA debut

Who was Michael Carter-Williams as a prospect?

Prior to Michael Carter-Williams’ NBA career and his often forgotten historic NBA debut, he was an intriguing sophomore at Syracuse. The 6’6” point guard averaged 11.9 points, 7.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and a prolific 2.7 steals per game throughout the 2012-23 season. He also led a Syracuse team that featured four future NBA players to the Final Four. The Orange ultimately fell to the Michigan Wolverines led by Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., but Carter-Williams shined throughout March Madness, showcasing elite play-making and defensive prowess.

This March Madness run was enough for the freshly started “Trust the Process” 76ers to draft Carter-Williams’ 11th overall. Expectations for him and the team as a whole were low, as they had just shipped out Jrue Holiday, hired a new head coach in Brett Brown, and the talent on the team was obviously lacking. Despite this, Carter-Williams put on one of the craziest NBA debut performances of all-time: 22 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds, and 9 steals.

Michael Carter-Williams crushed prime LeBron James and the defending champions

Entering the 2013 season, the Miami Heat were coming off of back-to-back titles and LeBron James was at the peak of his powers. This was perhaps the toughest first opponent that the 76ers could have had, but Carter-Williams was not phased. MCW began the game by stealing a pass and dunking the ball on the other end for his first two NBA points. He then got his first NBA assist the very next possession and nailed his first three-pointer just 45 seconds later. In no time, the “Trust the Process” 76ers were leading 19-0 over the Heat. He finished the first quarter with 5 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals, but he was just getting warmed up.

In the 2nd quarter, Carter-Williams was dicing up the Miami defense, drawing fouls and playmaking, entering halftime with an impressive line of 10/7/2 and 5 steals. The 2nd half was much of the same, and while the Miami Heat took the lead by 9 to end the third quarter, MCW was too much. He helped Philadelphia get the lead back and ultimately hit 3 clutch free throws in the final 27 seconds of the game to seal the victory, adding another 12 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals in the process.

Carter-Williams’ 9 steals are still the most in a rookie’s debut since steals became an official stat in 1973. Additionally, this was a historic game not just for debuts or rookies, but compared to all players, all-time. The combination of 22+ points, 12+ assists, 9+ steals, and 7+ rebounds had only been achieved twice in NBA history before Carter-Williams’ debut (Rickey Green in 1982 and Johnny Moore in 1985). His 12 assists was also the 2nd most in a NBA debut behind only Ernie DiGregorio in 1973.

Where is Carter-Williams now?

MCW went on to win Rookie of the Year in 2014, averaging 16.7 PPG, 6.3 APG, and 6.2 RPG. Unfortunately, he was unable to build upon his promising rookie season spending just another half-season with the 76ers before he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He then made pit-stops in Chicago, Charlotte, and Houston, before ending up with the Orlando Magic.

In 2023-2024 he will enter the final year of his contract with Orlando, but he will continue to bring veteran leadership and emergency depth and defense for an up-and-coming Magic team.