The Wizards’ most notable draft pick from 2024 was Alex Sarr, selected second overall. The 7’1″ big man has lots of professional playing experience and is supposed to be one of the best players coming out of the draft. However, after a lackluster summer league performance, many people’s opinion of him dropped. However, hiding in the shadows is another Wizards rookie who dominated in Summer League and is well-poised for a phenomenal rookie season. People may not be talking about Carlton Carrington now, but once his rookie season’s over, he could very well be in the conversation for 2024-25 Rookie of the Year.
Introducing a Rookie of the Year Candidate
Carrington is still a high-profile draft pick, even if the media has been more focused on Sarr. Selected with the 14th pick out of Pittsburgh, Carrington is a 6’5″ guard who can seemingly do it all. When playing in Summer League, Carrington shined while others struggled. In his first game, he almost had a triple-double, with 19 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists with four three-pointers made. He continued to impress in the team’s next game against the Rockets, with 18 points, five assists, and four three-pointers made. Carrington’s third game saw him drop 20 against the Trail Blazers, and his final summer league game against the Bucks saw him drop a double-double (13 points and 15 rebounds). With these impressive performances, Carrington was named to the All-Summer League Second Team.
Carrington’s Background
Carrington’s rise wasn’t unusual, or even unexpected. In high school, Carrington was a four-star recruit, ranked 87th overall in his class. Attending high school at St. Frances Academy, Carrington averaged 26 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals per game as a senior on amazing shooting splits. The team went 29-11 overall, a great record. With most players, it’s impressive to score 1,000 points in their high school career. With Carrington, he put up over 1,000 points in his senior season alone. It’s why he had offers from Rutgers, LSU, George Mason, Iona, Stanford, Loyola Chicago, La Salle, DePaul, VCU, and George Washington. Ultimately, Pittsburgh is where he chose to play college basketball.
A one-and-done prospect at Pittsburgh, Carrington didn’t disappoint during his only season with the team. He averaged 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. His shooting splits and efficiency was impressive for a college player, making him an intriguing draft prospect with high upside. As a result, he was selected with the 14th overall pick. Before the draft, the Blazers dealt the rights to the 14th pick to the Wizards in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon to DC, with Deni Avdija headed to Portland.
What to Expect from Carrington’s Rookie Season
Being selected 14th overall, it’s unclear what the expectations are for Carrington’s rookie season. Being a late lottery pick, Carrington should be able to evolve into a productive player on the court for meaningful minutes. Regardless, it’s safe to assume that he won’t be a bust or an All-Star caliber player after his first year.
If Carrington can become a productive player for the Wizards and put up the same kind of numbers that he did in Summer League, then he could very well be a candidate for Rookie of the Year. Carrington has shown he knows how to score, he’s a good shooter, and has great size at 6’5″. He has all the tools needed to succeed in the NBA. Even better, Carrington won’t need to adjust to a new city and new life. As he’s originally from the DMV, so the transition from NBA to college acts as his homecoming.
Is Carrington going to win Rookie of the Year? It’s way too soon to answer that question, but probably not. Still, will we see him within the top vote-getters for the award by the end of the 2024-25 season? That’s a real possibility, especially if he can lead the Wizards to some more wins.
