MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — The odds that the Phoenix Suns would go a perfect 8-0 during the NBA restart in Orlando and challenge for a playoff spot in the Western Conference were less than 1%, according to ESPN’s power index.
Jevon Carter’s chances at playing a major role in the Suns’ late run in the NBA’s bubble — Phoenix came up just short of the playoffs after losing a tiebreaker with Memphis — were maybe just slightly better when he was traded by the Grizzlies to Phoenix in July 2019.
A young Suns team was already loaded at the guard positions with All-Star Devin Booker and free agent Ricky Rubio as the starters. Phoenix also had prospects Elie Okobo and Ty Jerome signed and looking to carve out their own roles as backups.
Yet, Carter has never cared much about the odds he’s faced, and to that point, maybe the Suns didn’t care about the obstacles in front of them either.
“This team just keeps playing through ugly segments of the game,” Phoenix head coach Monty Williams said. “If we’re not making shots or if we’re not moving the ball the way we typically do, we just keep playing. Our will is something I don’t take for granted.”
The credit for that will in some part, goes to Carter, the former WVU point guard who worked his was up from an under-recruited project from Maywood, Ill. to the only player from a Power Five Conference to record more than 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in a college career.
If there’s one thing you should know about me is I’ll never stop. I’ll never give up. Things happen all the time in basketball. If you go out there and play hard and give it your all, then good things are going to happen.
Jevon Carter
Williams referred to Carter as the team’s “bulldog.” His Phoenix teammates were quick to agree.
“The intensity he brings and the communication he brings; if there is any part in the game where we feel our energy is dying down, J.C. will be the first to communicate that and let everyone know,” Booker said.
Carter’s emergence in the bubble was undeniable. He came off the bench in all eight wins, averaging 24 minutes per game.
More importantly, Carter’s shooting was the major questions he faced at the NBA level, but he shot 50% from the field (19 of 38) and 55% from 3-point range (16 of 29) during the restart.
“That’s just how much work I’ve put in,” Carter said. “It may be a surprise to everyone else, but to me, it was what was supposed to happen.”
True to Carter’s basketball career, it did not happen overnight.
While the NBA was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Carter used much of his time studying his own game to that point.
“What I really did was lock in and I spent all of my time watching film,” Carter said. “I watched all of my makes and all of my misses. I pretty much watched all of our games. I went and looked and focused on when I hit shots, why did I make them? When I missed shots, why did I miss them and how can I change that?
“The one thing I noticed is I always have to be ready to shoot at all times. You never know when the ball is going to come to you. If you’re locked and loaded, you got a good chance at making it.”
Carter’s defensive intensity and hustle — he was a two-time national Defensive Player of the Year at WVU — has not changed since moving on the to the NBA.
Phoenix awarded him Thursday with the team’s Dan Majerle Hustle Award, which goes annually to the Suns player who plays with the most effort.
“If there’s one thing you should know about me is I’ll never stop. I’ll never give up,” Carter said. “Things happen all the time in basketball. If you go out there and play hard and give it your all, then good things are going to happen. I’ll always play as hard as I can at all times and whatever happens will happen.”
Carter’s next NBA obstacle is his second NBA contract.
He is now a restricted free agent and the Suns must make a qualifying offer of at least $1.93 million in order to keep him for the 2021-22 season.
By making that offer, it would allow the Suns to match any other offer another NBA team may throw at him.
If the Suns don’t make the qualifying offer, Carter would be free to sign with any team he chooses.
Team officials haven’t hinted yet what they may do with Carter, but the guard seems to have taken a liking to the Suns and their underdog mentality.
“All year we felt like we wasn’t respected,” Carter said. “We had 82 games this year and only one was nationally televised. We came to the bubble and none of our games were nationally televised until we started winning.
“It’s like, what do we have to do to gain the respect? I think coming here and going undefeated that we did our jobs.”
**** DUANE RANKIN of the Arizona Republic contributed to this story.
IN THE BUBBLE
How former WVU standout Jevon Carter fared with the Phoenix Suns during the eight games in the NBA’s restart in Orlando. Phoenix was the only team to go undefeated during the bubble games:
- In eight games, Carter averaged 23.7 minutes played per game and played at least 11 minutes in all eight games.
- He averaged 7.0 points, 2.4 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game.
- Carter also had nine steals, including three against Oklahoma City.
- He scored a season-high 20 points against Miami.
- Carter shot 55% from 3-point range (16 of 29) and was 50% from the field (19 of 38).
- He was awarded the team’s Dan Majerle Hustle Award, which goes annually to the Suns player who played with the most effort.
TWEET @bigjax3211
