Overview
Carlton “Bub” Carrington is a Baltimore native through and through, playing local AAU ball with Team Melo and attending St. Frances Academy before going to Pittsburgh. His tenure at St. Frances was historic, posting shooting splits of 49%/38%/86% and becoming the first player in nearly a decade to score over 1,000 points in a season. He burst on the scene at Pitt, logging a triple-double in his first game and didn’t slow down in ACC play either, averaging 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game on 40.6%/33.1%/78.5% shooting in 34 minutes per game.
Analysis
With poise beyond his years, Carrington’s instincts in snaking pick-and-roll, getting to his spots in the midrange and stepping back into 3-pointers form a dynamic scoring package. Converting just 50.9% of his shots around the basket — 27th percentile nationwide — and attempting just 57 total shots around the basket are oddities given his smooth style and 6-foot-4 5 frame. It also represents a limiting factor in his next-level archetype. His facilitation is an elite counter to his shooting, as Carrington can offset his track record of limited rim penetration with quality passing.
Projection
Since 2020, the only freshman guards 6-foot-4 and taller to post above a 52% true shooting, a 20% assist rate and knock hit 32% on at least 100 3-pointers are Carrington, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Suggs. Carrington does not have the isolation game that Cunningham displayed, nor does he have defensive tenacity like Suggs. However, Carrington’s 2.11 AST/TO ratio with 137 assists is easily the most impressive figure of this trio. There are examples of NBA guards carving out lead offensive roles despite poor finishing, with Cunningham, CJ McCollum, Trae Young, Tyler Herro and Fred VanVleet all hitting less than 51% of their shots around the basket in 2023-24. Carrington’s sharp facilitation combined with grading as one of the most efficient upper-paint and midrange guards could ultimately fuel an ascension to the aforementioned tier of stars.
— Profile by RotoWire