Carter surprised many by foregoing his senior season and declaring for the draft in April, but his overall body of work during his only season in College Park helped lead to a productive evaluation process. Carter was clearly ready to move on to the professional ranks this spring – at 22 years old, he had already played two years at Georgia Tech before transferring to Maryland in 2014 and sitting out for a season under NCAA transfer rules – and he graduated from school this spring with the full intention of improving his draft stock through the league’s combine and individual workouts with 16 teams.

Carter averaged 12.3 points and was one of the Big Ten’s most productive rebounders (6.9 per game) and shot-blockers (1.3) this past season. He also emerged as one of the foremost leaders in Maryland’s locker room, a process that began the year before when he sat out while refined his body by dropping more than 20 pounds and established a reputation as a basketball junkie.

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While most NBA teams were well aware of his natural scoring ability and overall versatility prior to the evaluation period – Carter finished ninth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (55.4) and showed efficiency as both a low post scorer and as a shooter on the perimeter as a junior – he still had to answer questions about his motor and ability to defend at the next level.

Carter showed up at the draft combine notably beefier – he added about 10 pounds to his 6-foot-9, 245-pound frame while training in Los Angeles – and he only helped his stock with a 24-point, seven-rebound performance during his first scrimmage at the event. He was determined to continue flashing his improved body and defensive ability throughout work outs, which included four in a four-day span last before he returned to his hometown of Thomasville, Georgia to await word on his professional future.