Texas Basketball: 3 players who helped their NBA Draft stock
Marcus Carr, G
If there was a player for the Longhorns that could’ve played his way into late second-round draft consideration with his performances on the court this season, it was Carr. The fifth-year senior guard already had a lot of the tools necessary to fit the mold of a draftable point guard or combo guard in the NBA.
But, as we highlighted in a deep-dive article on Carr’s NBA Draft stock last month, the First-Team All-Big 12 guard selection is someone that has the tools and the background to fight and claw his way onto a roster at the next level.
Carr has the physical tools and overall athleticism to compete with most guards in the NBA on both ends of the floor. He also has that special combination of good court vision and tough-shot-making ability that makes him a really difficult guard for opposing defenders.
It’s also worth mentioning that Carr is a gritty one-on-one defender that was one of the most disruptive guards on the perimeter in the Big 12 during the 2022-23 season. He ranked in the top five among Big 12 guards and wings during the 2022-23 campaign in total steals, steals per game, and steal percentage.
Marcus Carr with another lob to Dillon Mitchell for the alley-oop! pic.twitter.com/1yqXCuVKgJ
— Hook'em Headlines (@HookemHeadlines) March 26, 2023
Marcus Carr getting his third 3 of the day, now with 15 points in the game! pic.twitter.com/4TCbjUSqPl
— Hook'em Headlines (@HookemHeadlines) March 26, 2023
However, one of the biggest question marks pertaining to Carr’s game and how it would translate to the next level had to do with his inconsistencies as a shooter. NBA Scouting Live said that one of Carr’s biggest cons as an NBA Draft prospect was that he’s a “streaky shooter” and that he is “prone to hoisting up questionable shots”.
No surprise here that Marcus Carr isn't struggling with the NBA 3-point line. pic.twitter.com/NxS8N39kHu
— Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) June 20, 2021
And while there were still some instances of Carr putting up bad shots this season, he was a lot more measured in his shot selection. That is why Carr shot better than 40 percent from the field for the first time in his collegiate career, while shooting from deep at a career-best clip of 36.8 percent.
Next. 3 best NBA Draft prospects from Texas. dark
I think Carr had a strong enough run not only in March, but throughout the entire 2022-23 season to be considered a fringe second-round draft prospect if he has a good showing at the NBA Draft Combine later this offseason.