Washington Wizards select Carlton Carrington in 2024 NBA Draft

Former Pittsburgh Panther Carlton “Bub” Carrington just had his NBA dreams realized. Carrington was selected by Washington Wizards with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The Wizards traded the Portland Trail Blazers for the pick.

A 6-foot-4 guard, Carrington started all 33 games for the Panthers as a true freshman. He averaged 13.8 points per game while playing more than 33 minutes a night. He also averaged more than five rebounds and four assists a game.

“I can’t thank Coach [Jeff] Capel, the staff, my teammates, and everyone associated with Pitt Basketball and the University of Pittsburgh for the opportunity to be a part of this team, a great university, and the Pittsburgh community,” Carrington said in a release announcing he’d stay in the draft. “After weighing my basketball options with my family and coaches, I have decided to pursue my childhood dream of playing in the NBA.

“The growth in my game over the past year and the opportunity to showcase my abilities at Pitt have helped make this a reality. I will miss my teammates and coaches as well as the terrific culture of Pitt Basketball and the support of the University of Pittsburgh community, but am eager continue my growth and development at the next level.”

Carrington made the ACC All-Rookie team for his efforts in what will be his lone season of college basketball as the Panthers finished fourth in the league in the regular season, going 22-11 overall.

What NBA Draft experts are saying about Carrington

The scouting report on Carrington starts with his offensive upside, using his long frame and fluid athleticism to get downhill and fire out passes to balance out his plus shooting. However, he’s a bit of an underwhelming finisher in close.

“With poise beyond his years, Carrington’s instincts in snaking pick-and-roll, getting to his spots in the midrange and stepping back into 3-pointers form a dynamic scoring package,” his NBA.com scouting report reads. “Converting just 50.9% of his shots around the basket — 27th percentile nationwide — and attempting just 57 total shots around the basket are oddities given his smooth style and 6-foot-4 5 frame. It also represents a limiting factor in his next-level archetype. His facilitation is an elite counter to his shooting, as Carrington can offset his track record of limited rim penetration with quality passing.”

All told, the projection for Carrington could hinge on his ability to round out his offensive game.

“Since 2020, the only freshman guards 6-foot-4 and taller to post above a 52% true shooting, a 20% assist rate and knock hit 32% on at least 100 3-pointers are Carrington, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Suggs. Carrington does not have the isolation game that Cunningham displayed, nor does he have defensive tenacity like Suggs. However, Carrington’s 2.11 AST/TO ratio with 137 assists is easily the most impressive figure of this trio. There are examples of NBA guards carving out lead offensive roles despite poor finishing, with Cunningham, CJ McCollum, Trae Young, Tyler Herro and Fred VanVleet all hitting less than 51% of their shots around the basket in 2023-24. Carrington’s sharp facilitation combined with grading as one of the most efficient upper-paint and midrange guards could ultimately fuel an ascension to the aforementioned tier of stars.