It seems odd that there is a fair amount of excitement around the Boston Celtics signing someone to a training camp deal, but Devin Carter has been the exception to this. Not just because he's a former lottery pick, but because there's a good reason to believe he could thrive in Joe Mazzulla's system.
Better yet, he can thrive in his own way, and if he does, it could disprove an inaccurate narrative that Mazzulla Ball is all about threes.
That's not to say Mazzulla Ball doesn't rely on threes, but just not entirely. Besides, he is not a good three-point shooter. He's not even average. He's bad, shooting 27.4% from distance in his career. On the surface, that sounds like a problem.
But here's the thing: it truly doesn't have to be. There's always a chance he could turn into one with the right time and development, but we shouldn't count on it because it's not guaranteed. Not everyone gets to have the story Derrick White has had as a Celtic.
Carter's calling card is his disruptiveness on defense and on the boards. The numbers show that he is quite good at it, and it shows in the game film. For how small Carter is, he is quite tenacious. He is also smart about how to handle himself when he gets after it.
That's why it wouldn't matter if he becomes a reliable three-point shooter or not. As long as he contributes greatly to other aspects of Mazzulla Ball, that should make him a valuable contributor for the Celtics. That is, if he makes the team.
In short, it would be nice if Carter finds his stroke, but no one should be mad if he doesn't.
Luke Kornet already disproved this narrative
Celtics fans remember Luke Kornet, and now the NBA knows about him as well. Because he didn;t really make a name for himself until he ascended to Boston, it's easy to forget that he was a stretch big when he first became a Celtic.
However, as Boston and Mazzulla started to depend on him, they urged him not to shoot threes and just be a presence down low as a low threat and a rim protector. Even better was that it worked. Looked what it did for the Celtics and look what did it for his career.
Kornet could shoot threes, but it was under Mazzulla and the Celtics that convinced not to bother because he was better inside the perimeter than out of it.
Maybe it's hard to notice because Kornet is a big. Carter is the opposite, and if he makes the team, he's the smallest player on the Celtics roster. If he proves himself to be a cog for the team without a three-point shot, this should end the one fallacy many still harp on about Mazzulla's style.
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