After missing out on Goran Dragic to the Brooklyn Nets, it was only a matter of time before the Milwaukee Bucks pivoted elsewhere to sign a guard. Ironically, the player they ended up signing was waived by the Nets to make room for Dragic. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Bucks plan to bring in Jevon Carter once he clears waivers this Wednesday.
Reactions to the Milwaukee Bucks signing point guard Jevon Carter
On impact, the signing of Carter is far from the flashiest. However, after constant rumors over the last week pegged the Bucks as the lead suitors for Dragic and detailed how aggressive they were in their pursuit, any target not named Dragic would be viewed this way. While Carter is not Dragic, he can certainly help the Milwaukee Bucks regardless.
First and foremost, the Bucks needed another guard due to the various injuries on the roster right now. Pat Connaughton is set to miss the next several weeks after a recent procedure and backup point guard George Hill is currently dealing with neck issues that have kept him out of the lineup for the past several games. With Donte DiVincenzo and Rodney Hood being dealt at the deadline, the Bucks have been short on backcourt depth, and they just helped address that problem.
Not only will Carter help shore up Milwaukee’s depth, but he could be an impactful piece to their defense as well. Carter made himself known in college at West Virginia by being a very reputable defender, racking up two NABC Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2017 and 2018 while also being named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year in 2018. His strong defense has also been key in helping the former second round pick carve out a role in the NBA. While he does not provide incredible versatility at just 6-foot-1, Carver could be a serviceable piece for the champs without Connaughton, a very strong defender himself, available for the time being.
While Carter will immediately help defensively, the biggest question revolves around his offense. The 26-year-old has averaged 4.3 points per game over his four-year career, which does not leap off the page. He has been a solid outside shooter, though, knocking down 36.9 percent of his threes on 2.6 attempts per game in his career, which will help.
However, one of the most significant reasons why the Bucks were after Dragic was because they needed a bench scorer. According to NBA.com/stats, Milwaukee’s bench ranks 28th in points per game this season, and those troubles have gotten worse lately without Connaughton and Hill out on the floor. Carter does not exactly fix that lingering issue.
Overall, this is a solid signing for the Bucks. Although he will not help their bench scoring issues, the guard will be a solid addition defensively that can hit the occasional triple. Given how depleted Milwaukee’s backcourt currently is, this move makes sense. Scouring the buyout market, there are not many names that would have been better picks than Carter for the champs to consider. Carter is not a needle-tipper, but he fills some gaping holes in the backcourt right now.
Welcome to Milwaukee, Jevon!