In his second NBA season, Carter appeared in 58 games, and made two starts, for the Phoenix Suns. In 16.3 minutes per contest, he averaged 4.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists. On opening night against the Kings, Carter scored in double-figures, finishing with 11 points, three assists, a steal and a rebound in 18 minutes. He made his first start of the season against the Clippers on Oct. 26, playing 33 minutes and posting eight points, a season-high six assists, three rebounds and three steals. Two nights later against the Jazz, Carter went for a then-season-high 15 points to go with four rebounds, three assists and two steals. The West Virginia product matched that total against the Bucks on Feb. 2, when he finished with 15 points, four boards, two assists and three steals. Versus Portland on Mar. 10, Carter posted eight points, seven rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal. He appeared in all 10 of the Suns' games after the All-Star break, averaging 5.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 0.8 steals in that span. When the season resumed in Orlando, Carter played a major role off the bench, averaging 23.9 minutes in Phoenix's eight seeding games. In that time, he posted 7.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals. Against the Heat on Aug. 8, Carter went for a season-high 20 points, to go with four rebounds and three assists.

In his rookie campaign with Memphis, Carter averaged 4.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 39 appearances, including three starts. He shined brightest in his final game of the season, pouring in a season-high 32 points on 10-of-18 shooting (8-12 3Pt). Carter spent time between the G League and the NBA for much of his rookie season, but still reached double figures five times while serving primarily as point guard depth when with the NBA club. He continues to refine his three-point shot, though Carter did connect on 2.9 threes per 100 possessions and shot 33 percent from beyond the arc. Over 55 percent of Carter's field-goal attempts were threes, putting him third on the Grizzlies in that department. Defensively, his steal percentage (2.2) was fourth-best on the team. It's a skill that likely stayed with him after playing constant full-court press in his college days at West Virginia. As the season winded down and Memphis had been eliminated from playoff contention, Carter saw his role increase. After re-joining the club following the G League playoffs in late-March, he posted averages of 13.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in his final five appearances. Carter also shot 59.3 percent from three in April, ending the season on a high note.