Evaluating Phoenix Suns newcomer, Jevon Carter

One of the lesser known players the Phoenix Suns acquired this offseason is Jevon Carter. However, he will be called upon to make an impact off the bench.

James Jones essentially put a bow on the Phoenix Suns’ offseason when he traded Josh Jackson, De’Anthony Melton, a 2020 second round pick, and a 2021 conditional second round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies, for Jevon Carter and the privilege of clearing cap space via waiving Kyle Korver.

This trade was done for many reasons, but getting a better basketball player for the assets given up was not one of them.

Nonetheless, Jevon Carter and his fascinating premature male pattern baldness is fairly decent at his job.

Jevon Carter, whose real first name is Leroy, will make $1,416,852 this year. That buys a lot of Rogaine.

Sorry – I’m not done with the hair jokes.

As a player that looked like some student’s dad at West Virginia, Carter won the NABC Defensive Player of the Year two years in a row thanks to his relentless hustle and Bob Huggins’ intense press (a style of play notably more fun to watch than the school of its neighboring state led by another new Sun, but don’t tell their fans that).

The biggest critique of “Press Virginia” is there is the same amount of chaos on offense as there is defense.

Jevon Carter led this style of play for three years and it fit him perfectly. You can look at that through whichever half of the glass you like most.

The glass half full folks can get pumped for his defensive tenacity, while the half empty crew can moan about his lack of an offensive skill set.

Ironically, the Phoenix Suns could have drafted Carter last year (some of us felt they should have), but instead, took Élie Okobo with the 31st overall pick. The Memphis Grizzlies took Carter with the very next selection.

Carter averaged 4.4 points, 1.8 assists, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.7 steals in just under 15 minutes per game in his single season in Memphis.

Look for him to mimic these numbers in Phoenix barring the kind of miracle it took for him to go bald before he could buy alcohol.

Predicting him to mirror the stats of his rookie season may sound pessimistic, however Carter will have to prove himself early if he wants to even stay on the court – and as he showed at West Virginia, he plays well when he back is to the wall.

He will start the year as the presumptive backup to Ricky Rubio, depending on whether or not you consider Tyler Johnson a true point guard. However, the Suns didn’t draft Ty Jerome not to play and that the rookie will right away be vying to take his minutes.

Phoenix Suns

Throw in the player the Suns chose over Carter last year, Okobo, and second round draft pick Jalen Lacque, and something (or someone) has have to give by the season’s end (although do not expect to see Lacque much this season as the vast majority of his time will be lighting it up in the G-League).

There’s an old football saying that goes, “If you have two quarterbacks, you have zero quarterbacks.”

The Phoenix Suns are going to have to invent its basketball equivalent: “When you have six point guards, you have…maybe one? Less than zero? Serious roster building problems?”

I predicted Ty Jerome will take over Carter’s spot in the rotation by the All-Star break and I still think that’s true. But Carter could prove me wrong by being the defensive player Jerome may not be capable of being. That and knock down the open three consistently while minimizing turnovers.

If not, by the end of the year, he may just end up just being a bald guy named Leroy.

And hey – the last time the franchise traded for a player who was bald right out of college it worked out pretty well, right?

Alright – I’m done with the bald jokes. For now.