Wendell Carter

Carter has struggled to make meaningful strides in his game since being selected No. 7 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, and last season was his worst from a fantasy perspective, as the center ranked 146th on a per-game basis after managing a rank of 110th in 2019-20. He spent the first part of the season with Chicago but was dealt to Orlando at the deadline in the trade that sent Nikola Vucevic to the Bulls. He did manage to have one of the best stretches of his career while with the Magic, however. In 11 games to start April, he averaged 15.4 points on 56.2 percent shooting, 9.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.1 combined steals-plus-blocks. That said, plenty of players have great 10-game stretches, and Carter hasn't shown us many of the things scouts praised him for, including playmaking ability and three-point potential. He's averaged just 2.2 assists per 36 minutes for his career, and he's a woeful 27-for-112 (24.1 percent) from distance. He's even been rough from the mid-range, with Carter shooting just 60-of-161 (37.3 percent) on non-paint two-pointers. With Orlando in the midst of a rebuild, Carter will continue having opportunities to expand his game and be a part of the offense. However, he'll also be competing for minutes with another member of his draft class, Mo Bamba, who needs developmental time as well. Bamba has been more of a disappointment than Carter, but the organization needs to figure out sooner than later if either player is worth investing in. As a result, Carter is one of the more intriguing high-risk options in the late rounds of drafts this season. If he can truly establish himself as a better option than Bamba, Carter should be in line for 30-plus minutes consistently. If that's the case, he would be en route to finish inside the top 100.

A nagging ankle injury that sidelined him nearly two months and the shortened regular season cost Carter some valuable development time during the 2019-20 campaign, but the 2018 seventh overall pick still showed some encouraging signs of improvement. Carter finished with averages of 11.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 53.4 percent overall across 29.2 minutes over 43 games. Carter's scoring and rebounding numbers both represented notable boosts from his rookie-season figures, and his accuracy also went up 4.9 percentage points. Nevertheless, Carter still has plenty of room for improvement in his offensive efficiency, considering he's yet to even match the 56.1 percent success rate from the floor he mustered during his one college season at Duke. A clean bill of health could certainly help make a difference for the 21-year-old, who could undoubtedly benefit from all the reps he can get given he's played only 87 total games at the NBA level over his first two seasons. One factor in Carter's favor in the coming season should be continuity, as he's projected to play alongside the same first-unit mates he did last season. That quartet of Coby White, Zach LaVine, Otto Porter and Lauri Markkanen will certainly command plenty of usage on the offensive end, but Carter figures to still be a solid option near the basket and serve as an above-average rebounder.

Carter's rookie campaign was cut short by injury, with the seventh overall pick appearing in just 44 games. He started each one, however, seeing 25.2 minutes per contest. While his season averages don't jump off the page, a deeper look reveals why he's considered a promising young center. Carter racked up seven double-doubles, three 20-point games, nine performances with double-digit boards, and seven outings with three or more blocks. He demonstrated his full skillset against the Nuggets in late October, dropping 25 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two threes and a combined six steals/blocks in 38 minutes. The Bulls will be looking for Carter to showcase those skills even more in 2019-20, as Robin Lopez has moved on to Milwaukee, making Carter the clear-cut option at center. It seems likely Carter will see 30-plus minutes per contest, and he averaged 13.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a combined 2.6 blocks/steals when seeing minutes in the 30s last year. But fantasy owners should remain patient with Carter, as he'll be entering just his age 20 season in 2019-20.

Carter comes in at 6-foot-10 and 251 pounds with a nearly a 7-foot-5 wingspan, providing some size at center for the Bulls alongside Lauri Markkanen. Though Carter lacks elite athleticism, his versatility gives him plenty of upside. The rookie can finish in the pick-and-roll, catch-and-shoot threes, work in the post and make good passes. He was also an impressive rebounder at Duke, posting 13.5 boards per 40 minutes. Defensively, Carter's size should help him hold his own in the post, while his quick feet and long arms could help him make switches on the perimeter. He looked more than comfortable during five summer league tilts, averaging 14.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.4 combined blocks/steals and 1.6 assists while shooting 55.1 percent from the field and going 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Carter also contributed to the overall success of the team, ending up with a plus-31.8 net rating. It’s unclear if he'll be the team’s starting center from Day 1, but it would be surprising if he doesn't at least split time at the position with Robin Lopez.