Tony Carr has announced he will declare for the NBA Draft and sign an agent, putting an end to his career at Penn State. Carr is an extremely intriguing prospect for the NBA. He has the body of Kris Dunn of the Chicago Bulls, but unlike Dunn, Carr is not a great defender. In fact, sometimes it looked like Carr did not even try on the defensive end as he often took plays off. Some of his lack of effort can be attributed to the fact that he had to create nearly all of Penn State’s offense, or at least he felt like he had to. Either way, Carr can make an impact defensively at the next level if he puts in the effort. Because of his 6-foot-5 frame he has the chance to guard both the guard and wing positions in the NBA. In the NBA that is critical because of all the switching and rotating on defense.
On the offensive side of the ball, critics say that Carr’s shot is too much of a put. However, he makes 43% of his three point attempts. The old saying is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and since Carr makes a high percentage of threes, his mediocre form should not be a problem to NBA scouts and executives. Carr uses a nice between the legs move to create space and can also shoot over smaller players. His arc is extremely high and often times the ball will hit the rim softly and bounce in. Carr also has a solid post moves which he could utilize in the NBA to post up smaller guards. He finishes at the rim at an above average clip and has a solid mid-range shot.
Most scouts agree that Carr will be drafted somewhere in the 25-40 range. The NBA has fallen in love with height and good shooting, and Carr has both of those characteristics. With that being said, Carr could slide into the late twenties or early thirties on draft day. However, if Carr doesn’t test well at the combine athletically, he could slip into the mid forties.
For Penn State, losing Carr is disappointing, but not backbreaking. Replacing both Carr and Shep Garner will not be easy for the NIT Champions. Assuming Mike Watkins, Lamar Stevens, and Josh Reaves return, Penn State’s core is solid. All three of those players averaged over 10 points per contest. Unfortunately, there is nobody else on their roster that has proven themselves. Nazeer Bostick will have to make a jump. As will John Harrar who had a big game in the NIT Championship. Out of those two players, Bostick has more potential. Bostick averaged 4.6 points as a sophomore this past season. He’ll need to develop a better outside shot to make a big impact. As for Harrar, he will likely fill the roll of Julian Moore. At the end of the season, Harrar really made an impact on the glass. Look for him to continue to do that and add some post moves.
Penn State added three guards on the recruiting trail for next season. Leading the way is 3-star guard Myles Dread. Dread is the 151st ranked recruit according the to 247 sports composite rankings. He is a 6-foot-4 shooting guard that has a chance to compete for playing time in Penn State’s backcourt. Dread was awarded Gatorade Player of the Year in the Washington D.C. area. He is a lethal shooter and was selected to participate in the American Family Insurance High School three point contest. The Nittany Lions also added 3-star guard Rasir Bolton. Bolton is ranked 211th according to 247 sports. Bolton is a combo guard who is extremely athletic. He can play either guard position and will also look to bolster Penn State’s backcourt.
Coming off an NIT title, it’s fair to say that there will be high expectations for Pat Chamber’s team. They will look to follow the path of last years NIT champions TCU, who earned a six seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. A six seed may not be reasonable, but making the tournament is well within reach. They will be a top 40 team, that could make some noise in the Big Ten next season.
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