Milwaukee Bucks GM Jon Horst had his end of the year media availability and was discussing several important off-season topics, such as the health of Khris Middleton, whether certain trades may be made and what the plan is for Jevon Carter.
Jon Horst said that he hopes to re-sign Jevon Carter for next season. This may be good news to hear for all of the Bucks fans that cried out for Jevon Carter to see playoff minutes over George Hill during the Boston Celtics series. George Hill does have a slight size advantage on Jevon Carter, about three inches, but George Hill failed to contribute as much during the Celtics did as Jevon Carter did during the Bulls series. Neither being particularly effective during the Celtics series, Hill from a production standpoint and Carter from a playing time standpoint, led to Jrue Holiday playing massive amounts of minutes which ultimately led to Holiday playing tired and running out of gas late in games.
What would a potential reunion mean for the Milwaukee Bucks and Jevon Carter?
It would mean that Jevon Carter would have the opportunity to earn more experience under head coach Mike Budenholzer, which is the what ultimately led to Budenholzer using George Hill in the playoffs. Having an entire season together could lead to Budenholzer having more trust in Carter.
It would also mean the Bucks would have less work to do on finding backup guard help, it was evident during the playoffs that the Bucks were lacking reliable backup point guard help. Re-signing Jevon Carter would add depth to the position.
For Jevon Carter, who turns 27 in September, he could find some footing in the NBA after splitting time between the Brooklyn Nets, being waived and catching on with the Milwaukee Bucks. Prior to playing with the Nets, Jevon Carter played two seasons with the Phoenix Suns and one with the Memphis Grizzlies. His play style of 3-and-D would fit well for Mike Budenholzer’s system which is built around playing defense. Jevon Carter is a career 38.3 percent 3-point shooter, including an impressive 55.8 percent in 20 games with the Bucks to end the 2021-22 regular season.
In addition to his high 3-point percentage, Jevon Carter also averaged 2.5 assists in his 20 games with the Bucks, which is also well above his career average of 1.4. It’s conceivable that with more time in the Bucks offensive system, being integrated into the game plan and more experience playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, that Jevon Carter could become the Milwaukee Bucks primary backup point guard.
If Carter could beat out George Hill and other late season signing Luca Vildoza for the backup point guard job, the Bucks could use George Hill in potential trade talks. George Hill is set to make $4 million in 2022-23, that $4 million could be used to balance out the money of a potential deal. Carter beating out Hill for the backup point guard spot would also help the Bucks get younger at the position, something they’ll need to do at the center position soon as well.
We’ll see what ends up happening with Jevon Carter this off-season, one thing is for certain, Jon Horst has some work to do on the roster.