A former Duke basketball star is ready to showcase his true talent under a new coaching regime.
Wendell Carter Jr., a low-profile Duke basketball star, is ready to take a major leap in his NBA career.
The former No. 7 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft has not lived up to expectations worthy of a Top-10 pick in his career with the Chicago Bulls thus far.
However, Carter Jr. is looking to break out of his shell under new head coach Billy Donovan and his staff.
Coming out of Duke, the 6-foot-9 center was selected under the Fred Hoiberg regime, and once the former college coach darted back to the collegiate game at Nebraska, his associate head coach, Jim Boylen, took over until he was fired following the completion of the 2019-20 season for Chicago.
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Averaging 10.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.1 blocks in his first two seasons with the Bulls, injuries have derailed any progress and development of Carter Jr. as he has only played 87 games in two seasons.
In an appearance on the Court Vision Podcast with Ben Stinar and Jameer Nelson, Stinar asked Carter Jr. what fans would see from him next year, and the big man responded, “Next year, y’all definitely are going to see a different Wendell.”
I asked Chicago Bulls Wendell Carter today about what we can hope to see from him next season.
— Ben Stinar (@BenStinar) October 22, 2020
“Next year, y’all definitely are going to see a different Wendell.” pic.twitter.com/dbiljrxpJn
Wendell Carter Jr. explained that the front office and his new coaching staff have told him they want to see him replicate what he did at Duke.
How the former Duke basketball star can show his Durham abilities in Chicago.
One of the biggest advantages Wendell Carter Jr. had at Duke was that he was never the focal point of the defense.
Every time the Blue Devils stepped on the floor in the 2017-18 season, Marvin Bagley III was the man at the top of the scouting report, then Grayson Allen, and then Wendell Carter Jr.
Carter Jr. had the chance to sit back and thrive while dominating under the spotlight of Bagley, who had arguably the best freshman season in Duke history to that date.
Despite being named as an All-ACC player and averaging 13.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, the Georgia native still took a backseat to the eventual ACC Player of the Year in Bagley.
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However, now with Billy Donovan as his head coach, the former Blue Devil could be set to thrive in this system as Donovan has greatly utilized big men, specifically with Joakim Noah and Al Horford during his days with the Florida Gators or Steven Adams with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The NBA has yet to release a schedule for the 2020-21 season, but the latest reports are that the league is targeting a return to the court in late December.