Michael Carter-Williams, who went from playing 10 minutes a game in his freshman year at Syracuse, to running the offense for 35 minutes a game in his sophomore season, has declared for the NBA draft following a Final Four run by his Orange. His season had ups and downs, but now Carter-Williams believes he could be the first name off the board.
"If I go in the pre-draft camp and kill it and do the things I know I can do, I don't see why not," Carter-Williams told Yahoo! Sports. At six feet, six inches, Carter-Williams would be an imposing point guard, even by NBA standards. In the 2012-2013 season, Carter-Williams score 11.9 points per game, 7.3 assists, and more than five rebounds.
In addition to those very solid stats, he compared well to the other top players in college basketball. He led Division I in total minutes played (1,409), assists (291), and steals (109). He was fifth in the nation in assists per game, as well as steals per game (2.7). He also ranked 12th in assist percentage, which measures the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while on the floor.
Carter-Williams is not without flaws, however. He led the nation in turnovers, averaging 3.5 a game. He also shot just 39 percent from the floor last season, and only connected on 29 percent of his 3-point shots.
According to DraftExpress.com, Carter-Williams is currently slated as the 12th pick, but that can all change once the draft order shakes out. Carter-Williams may struggle with his shooting, but he doesn't lack for confidence. "With my size and length I can affect the game in a lot of ways. My IQ for the game is very high. I think that will help me out a lot."
One NBA general manager is sure Carter-Williams will be a lottery choice. "His size for position, vision and ability to deliver the ball will get him drafted in the lottery."
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