A year ago, to predict Carlton “Bub” Carrington as a one-and-done NBA draft pick would have been far-fetched. To call him a first-round talent six months ago was still pushing it. His ascension to become one of this year’s most intriguing prospects reached its apex Wednesday night.
The Washington Wizards selected Carrington, a Baltimore native out of St. Frances Academy, with the No. 14 overall pick. The Portland Trail Blazers previously owned the 14th pick but reportedly traded it, veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon and a 2029 first-round pick to Washington earlier Wednesday in exchange for wing Deni Avdija. The Wizards took French center Alex Sarr with the No. 2 overall pick.
Carrington became the first player drafted out of Pittsburgh since Lamar Patterson in 2014. He’s also the first St. Frances graduate to be selected since Mark Karcher in 2000 and the fifth lottery selection out of the Baltimore Catholic League.
The Baltimore native wore an all-black suit with a green mental health awareness pin as he shared hugs with a large contingent of family, friends and coaches on hand at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, for the monumental night that keeps him as close to home as any NBA organization could.
Draft experts envision Carrington needing at least one to two years to make an impact and possibly earn a starting spot. That’s largely because, at 18 years and 11 months old — the youngest high-level college prospect in this draft class — he’s still filling out his 6-foot-4 frame.
Scouts perked up at Carrington’s recent draft combine numbers. He ran the 3/4 court sprint in 3.28 seconds, the sixth best. His vertical jump was 36 1/2 inches, tied for 12th best. Also, his off-the-dribble (21-for-30), side-by-side (19-for-25) and spot-up (20-for-25) shooting numbers were the best marks at the combine, partly dispelling knocks against his scoring efficiency.
“The NBA is about comparisons,” Carrington told reporters at the combine. “So I would say I could transition into like a Dejounte Murray or a Devin Booker kind of player. Where it’s not really a one [point guard], not really a two [shooting guard], but ball-dominant and can come off ball screens, can create for others and can obviously create for themselves.”
Carrington arrived at Pitt with NBA aspirations but no timeline to meet that goal. The lone season at Pitt did wonders for his draft stock.
He logged a triple-double in his college debut as part of a scorching start. He overcame a midseason slump and flashed several brilliant performances, particularly in the conference tournament, to close the year averaging 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while making 65 3-pointers.
Carrington started all 33 games while shooting 41.2% from the field, 32.2% from 3-point range and 78.5% from the free throw line as the youngest player in the vaunted Atlantic Coast Conference.
“As talented as he is — and I told every NBA person that’s called me,” Pitt coach Jeff Capel said, “I think his greatest gift is his mind. He is incredibly smart. I think that’s the reason why he’s gonna become a really, really good pro.”
Carrington’s father, also named Carlton, is a well-renowned coach in the Baltimore area. He coached several future pros through his AAU program, Baltimore Elite, which played a national schedule for many summers. Many of his father’s former players — Will Barton, CJ Fair, Josh Selby, Malcolm Delaney, Jamel Artis and others — became mentors to the younger Carrington.
“He’s a sponge,” Carrington’s older brother, Kareem Montgomery, said. “It’s part of the environment that he was in since before he could walk.”
Carrington transferred from McDonogh to St. Frances as a rising sophomore. He had to sit out a year, in accordance with Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association rules, then later capped his high school career on a high note.
St. Frances upset Mount Saint Joseph, 78-75, in overtime for the MIAA A Conference championship. Carrington scored the Panthers’ final six points, ending with 24. He became the first player in program history to eclipse 1,000 points in a single season.
For a Washington team in full rebuild mode, Carrington is in a position to lead the direction of the organization alongside the 7-foot center Sarr, a 19-year-old who played for Perth in Australia’s National Basketball League, and rising sophomore Bilal Coulibaly, also a 19-year-old from France.
The Wizards dealt stars Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal before this past season, traded center Daniel Gafford before the deadline and endured a franchise-worst 67 losses. They haven’t advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 1979. But a new front office led by president Michael Winger, general manager Will Dawkins and coach Brian Keefe is creating hope for the future.
Former Duke star and ESPN analyst Jay Bilas called Carrington a “really good player that I think has a lot of upside.” The draft show desk spoke highly of the youngster’s passing ability and rebounding numbers for a guard.
Coincidentally, Carrignton’s final two college games were played at his new home arena. Pitt beat Wake Forest and narrowly fell to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament at Capital One Arena.
“Whoever is fortunate enough to draft him,” Capel said before the draft, “he will want to soak up knowledge from everyone in that organization.”
