Wendell Carter deserves some recognition

[DukieInBrasil]

If not for Marvin's Monster Mash 30-20 game, it seems like Wendell's 14-16 game might have gotten some attention. Admittedly, Wendell's stats are not as tantalizing as Marvin's but he is assisting more buckets than MB3 and blocking shots at a higher rate. He's also not far off of averaging a double-double alongside MB3's double-double average. How crazy would that be for Duke to have TWO guys average a double-double in the same year, after K only had one guy do it previously?!?!?! (that would be jersey-retired for owning 2 Duke personal records and NDPOY Shelden Williams).
I would love to see more high-low between Marvin and Wendell with Marvin out high. They're both good passers and few teams have 2 big guys who can move like either of them. Plus the high-low prevents teams from clogging the low block, and MB3 or Carter can pass out to an open 3 if someone jumps down from out there. We've seen it a few times this year, and it seems to be effective, particularly when Trevon is out of the game. It seems like it's an option that we should take advantage of more.
Anyway, wanted to throw some props Wendell's way since he put up a pretty sick game and nobody's talking about it.

[OldPhiKap]

Dilly dilly. Carter is having a very good year, and is a monster in his own right.

[ncexnyc]

Nice post.

I definitely feel that if Carter was on just about any other team in the country you'd be hearing a lot more about him. I also believe that his stats would be higher than they currently are, because he'd be a bigger part of another teams offense.

But such is life when you decide to become part of a monster class of freshman, someone is more than likely to be the top dog on that team.

[GeneBanksManCrush]

Damn right he deserves some recognition. Wendell Carter is a MAN..

[WVDUKEFAN]

... just quit dropping your shoulder, Wendell.

[CDu]

Carter is a beast, and reminds me a lot of Elton Brand. If we didn’t have Bagley, Carter would likely be putting up obscene numbers. As is, he is averaging really impressive numbers: 13.7 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.0 bpg, 1.9 apg. Really impressive. Better rebounding, assist, block, and assist/turnover rates than Okafor had. Very comparable TS% and eFG% too. Really impressive as the (distant) second option in the post.

[weezie]

What a luxury to have Wendell and the sweet exotic 2-1-2 zone when the need arises.

He's the secret sauce.

[UrinalCake]

If we didn't have Bagley then I imagine Bolden would be playing a lot more minutes and Carter would be at the 4. He'd be getting more shots but I'm not sure his numbers would be much better, because right now Bagley draws so much attention that Carter can get a ton of o-boards and putbacks. Plus without Bagley, Carter would have to guard the 4's on the perimeter which he's not well-suited to do.

That's all just speculation though. We have such an amazing 1-2 punch with those two. You can call them Batman and Robin, David Robinson and Tim Duncan, or whatever. I agree about the high-low and I think we'll see that against zones like UVA.

[Devilwin]

I think the two bigs complement each other great, Carter, I feel is the better defender, but has a powerful inside game as well. I know he's sort of playing in Bagley's shadow, but Wendell is a stout player that deserves major props of his own. The two give us a fantastic one two punch inside, which we have not had in a while.

[kAzE]

Pretty much everyone on the team is being overshadowed by Marvin. Wendell is having a great year by any standard. If not for Marvin, he might be the best Duke big man since Shelden Williams.

[drummerdevil]

If we didn't have Bagley then I imagine Bolden would be playing a lot more minutes and Carter would be at the 4. He'd be getting more shots but I'm not sure his numbers would be much better, because right now Bagley draws so much attention that Carter can get a ton of o-boards and putbacks. Plus without Bagley, Carter would have to guard the 4's on the perimeter which he's not well-suited to do.

That's all just speculation though. We have such an amazing 1-2 punch with those two. You can call them Batman and Robin, David Robinson and Tim Duncan, or whatever. I agree about the high-low and I think we'll see that against zones like UVA.

I have DeLaurier starting over bolden, and carter probably would be scoring more because when looking for a bucket he would be a bigger option.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Pretty much everyone on the team is being overshadowed by Marvin. Wendell is having a great year by any standard. If not for Marvin, he might be the best Duke big man since Shelden Williams.

Yup. Grayson Allen is especially overshadowed by Bagley. Hell, Allen is easily a top 5 player in the country, but he barely feels top 20 with Bagley. This isn’t criticism nor negative; I’m merely pointing out that Bagley is so good everyone is playing second fiddle to him. Well, except for Trae Young. Duke has the most exciting and fun team in the country. Oklahoma has by far the most exciting player.

[burnspbesq]

Dilly dilly. Carter is having a very good year, and is a monster in his own right.

Imagine Wendell going against Ivy League post players night in and night out. He might lead the nation in scoring AND rebounding.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Imagine Wendell going against Ivy League post players night in and night out. He might lead the nation in scoring AND rebounding.

Or against high school kids. Hard to argue this kid didn't make a good call.

[Rich]

Imagine Wendell going against Ivy League post players night in and night out. He might lead the nation in scoring AND rebounding.

Or against high school kids. Hard to argue this kid didn't make a good call.

Got your Bigs mixed up? It was Bagley who reclassified, not Carter.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Got your Bigs mixed up? It was Bagley who reclassified, not Carter.

Whoopsies.

Yup.

[devildeac]

Got your Bigs mixed up? It was Bagley who reclassified, not Carter.

I believe the reference may have been to Wendell's "final four" choices, which, IIRC (but not always correct), were UGA, GT, Hah-vahd and Duke.

[johnb]

While some/many teen phenoms want to maximize their time in the spotlight, and might resent a teammate like MB3, Wendell appears to be genuine in his twin goals of pursuing education and improving his game. He gets to play on tv twice/week, and then gets daily practices in which 4 other Duke bigs are also freakishly physical. On almost all other NCAA teams, he simply wouldn’t get that experience. He’s in the perfect spot.

[CDu]

I believe the reference may have been to Wendell's "final four" choices, which, IIRC (but not always correct), were UGA, GT, Hah-vahd and Duke.

The mixup comment referred to the post referencing high schoolers, not the post referencing Ivy. High school was an option for Bagley, not

[skysdad]

He's everything I thought he would be. Putting up some good solid numbers and they may get better. He's got a good head on his shoulders and you can tell he was raised right. I know education is a priority for him and I do realize it's a very long shot but is there any chance he hangs around a while.