Wendell Carter Jr. knows the numbers.
The shot is undoubtedly a bit shaky for the third-year Bulls big man.
The confidence, however, isn’t.
“It’s still great,’’ Carter said in a Zoom call on Tuesday, hours before the team flew to Oklahoma City for their final two preseason games. “My coaching staff is still behind me. They understand that this is a huge change from last year, that they’re relying on me to make my open shots from the three-point line. So my confidence is still high, they’re still backing me up, so I’m good.’’
Backing that isn’t the least bit dented, either. Coach Billy Donovan made that clear, despite Carter shooting 4-for-18 (22%) from the field with two games in the books, and including a dismal 1-for-9 (11%) from three-point range.
“I think we’re asking him to do something to expand his game,’’ Donovan said of Carter. “I think he’s capable of doing that. I understand that it’s not like all of a sudden going to happen overnight. He’s going to have some setbacks. He’s got to have a resiliency and a mental toughness to work through those things. I think it’s the best thing for our team if we want to evolve and grow out the team. I think Wendell was really a roller the last couple years. He’s also battled some injuries too.
“I do think when you watch on film, he does have the ability to pass the basketball and make good decisions. But we’re utilizing him in a way he wasn’t utilized really throughout his career. For me, after two preseason games and these guys having nine months off from playing and then having six contact practices and two non-contact practices, to sit there and say, ‘Oh, I don’t believe he can do it, we got to totally revamp what we’re doing,’ I don’t think that would be fair. There’s going to be some ups and downs.’’
Two games in? Yeah, it’s fair to call it that “down’’ turn that Donovan talked about, but there was some merit to what the coach was selling, as the re-education of Carter’s game is in the very early stages.
The offense Carter showed under Fred Hoiberg had the organization excited. Coming out of Duke, Carter not only displayed a nice mid-range touch, but actually snuck outside and got in a three-pointer now and then before a thumb injury derailed his rookie season.
The hope was in Year 2 those numbers would increase, especially his outside game. A full season under Jim Boylen, however, the bump was small.
Carter went from 10.3 points per game to 11.3 in Year 2, despite playing an average of four more minutes per game in an offense that dined on three-point shots. Yet, Carter found his role in the Boylen offense much different than expected.
He was a facilitator when the ball did come his way, left more often than not to do the dirty work inside. Development for the No. 7 overall pick in the 2018 draft seemed to be an afterthought.
That’s where Donovan comes in. The new coach has a long to-do list when it comes to turning this rebuild around, and changing Carter’s role in the offense is near the top of it.
“I think Wendell’s a high-character guy,’’ Donovan said. “He wants to win. He wants to help the team. I think he really is very hard on himself. I think he holds himself really accountable and holds himself to a high level. And I think when you have a player like that, you feel good about trying to help that guy continue to grow and evolve.
“It’s going to be a process for him, and it’s going to take some time. But I know he’s going to work hard to improve the thing that he’s doing.’’
