Short thoughts and video scouts on Torrey Craig and Jevon Carter
One minute videos on their strengths and weaknesses
Given the Bulls’ limited spending options and fixation on continuing with their core, I’m feeling pretty good about the players they picked up. I had Craig and Carter listed as two guys that the Bulls should target in my free agency guide. I was pleasantly surprised that they did exactly that.
Jevon Carter
I’ve heard Carter described as a younger, better version of Patrick Beverley, and I like that comparison.
Beverley killed last year’s offense by refusing to shoot unless he was completely wide open. That wasn’t as much of a problem during the regular season, when teams were mailing it in and not adjusting their strategies much. In the play-in games, Beverley was completely scouted out and left unguarded.
Carter won’t have that issue. He’s a gunner that lets it fly from 3 and is a similarly annoying pest on defense. Here’s my one minute video scout on him.
I think the Bulls have a chance to be a mid-to-high 40’s win team with Carter. Their problems last season were mostly about having a ridiculously ill-fitting supporting cast.
With some sensible lineup construction, the Bulls’ core three of DeRozan, LaVine, and Vucevic was a lot better than people probably realize. Playing Beverley and Alex Caruso with three resutled in one of the best lineups in the NBA, ranking third among groups with at least 500 possessions played per Cleaning the Glass.
This is a similar result (albeit to lesser scale) to what we saw when Lonzo Ball was healthy. When the Bulls play some defenders who can hit open 3’s around Vucevic, DeRozan, and LaVine, the results are pretty good.
What will they look like with an upgrade to Beverley? I suspect that Caruso won’t get the starting role (which is a mistake), but if we do see two shooters at all times next to DeRozan, LaVine, and Vucevic, I am fascinated to see if they can continue that dominance.
Torrey Craig
Craig will probably play a lot for the Bulls. He started 60 games for the Suns last season and dropped 22 points in their playoff opener, although he was almost out of their rotation by the second round.
Thus lies the good and bad of Craig. He’s a limited player who doesn’t contribute enough on offense to pull his own weight. That’s easier to overcome when he’s shooting 39 percent from 3. If he’s closer to his 35 percent career averages, then it becomes a little trickier.
Here’s my video scout on Craig:
Craig does have way more value on the Bulls than on other teams. Finally, they have some size aside from Patrick Williams that they can use on some of the better scoring threats that they face. Caruso did an admirable job on the Julius Randle’s of the league, but that does not seem like a sustainable strategy to lean on throughout an entire season.
Overall, Craig is a great value pick up on a minimum deal. Don’t expect him to be a world-beater, but he can slot in as a nice role player who can competently guard some of the tougher threats in the league and make wide open 3’s.