Marcus Carr might be just what Kentucky needs. What’s his timeline for a decision?
Kentucky could be in search of a veteran point guard for next season, and there’s a veteran point guard in search of a new place to play basketball.
Might Marcus Carr be the perfect fit for the Wildcats’ needs this winter?
The former Minnesota point guard — a 6-foot-2 playmaker from Toronto who has excelled for the Golden Gophers over the past two seasons — announced three weeks ago that he would be entering the NCAA transfer portal. Carr, who will turn 22 years old in June, played one season of college ball at Pittsburgh before transferring to Minnesota, and now he’s deciding whether to play for a third college or attempt a jump to the NBA Draft this year.
If he does return to college basketball, he’ll be among the best transfer options in the country. Earlier this week, 247Sports national analyst Eric Bossi ranked Carr as the nation’s No. 2 available transfer, behind only former five-star center Walker Kessler. The Athletic has Carr at No. 1 in its transfer rankings.
Kentucky was mentioned prominently as a possible landing spot for Carr in the immediate aftermath of his announcement that he’d be leaving Minnesota. Speculation tying the Cats to Carr’s recruitment hasn’t died down in the weeks since, and the need for UK to add a point guard for next season only increased with the recent announcement that Devin Askew would be leaving the program.
Of the more than 1,200 players who have already entered the transfer portal this spring, Carr is the best option at that position.
“He can score in basically every way you can ask of a guy on the perimeter,” 247Sports analyst Travis Branham told the Herald-Leader. “He’s quick. He’s shifty with the ball. He can score in the pick and roll. He’s a good facilitator and playmaker when he wants to be. Shoots it well from three. He’s just a skilled scorer who also functions as a point guard.
“Wherever he goes — and if that is Kentucky — I think he’ll be a highly productive player.”
Carr’s fit at Kentucky
Carr averaged 19.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game as a junior, leading the Golden Gophers in points and assists by a wide margin. He shot just 31.7 percent from three-point range, but he was a 36.1-percent shooter from deep as a sophomore and had 10 games with three or more made three-pointers this past season.
Askew’s transfer leaves incoming freshman Nolan Hickman as the only point guard sure to be on Kentucky’s roster next season. The Cats could still return veteran perimeter player Davion Mintz, who succeeded in a lead guard role over the final few games of the season, but he seems best suited to play a majority of his minutes off the ball.
UK has also already brought in highly touted transfer guard Kellan Grady — a 2,000-point scorer at Davidson over the past four seasons — to play off the ball. And the Cats are expected to have Dontaie Allen back next season, as well.
Askew struggled mightily in his first (and only) season as UK’s point guard. While Hickman appears to possess more of the perimeter burst that Askew lacked this past season, Branham noted that the presence of a veteran playmaker like Carr would go a long way in alleviating some of the immense pressure that comes with being a freshman point guard under John Calipari.
The addition of Carr would also give Calipari more of an ability to play three-guard lineups, especially if Mintz decides to return.
“That would actually bring what a lot of Kentucky fans have been wanting lately — having guys that can space the floor and play on the perimeter and both pass and shoot,” Branham said. “If Mintz does opt to come back — and obviously, you already have Grady — then you put Marcus Carr into the picture, and you have three guys who are all threats both on and off the ball. They can go get their own. Davion and Marcus can both go out and make plays for other people.
“So, yeah, having those three and the experience they bring would be a much different look than we’ve seen from Kentucky in recent years.”
Indeed, a possible three-guard lineup of Carr, Grady and Mintz would bring a combined total of 299 starts and 11 years of experience at the college level, a veteran dynamic unseen in the Calipari era.
UK is just a season removed from rolling with a three-guard starting lineup — Ashton Hagans, Immanuel Quickley and Tyrese Maxey — and Calipari has had success with similar setups in the past. His teams that have struggled the most — like this past season’s 9-16 squad — have largely been shallow on backcourt depth.
“That just opens the court up so much more, and now you’re able to put so much more pressure on the defense,” Branham said of playing three guards. “And plays just happen so much easier when you’re able to space the floor with three skilled scorers like that out there at all times.”
NBA Draft or college?
Before Carr picks a new school, he’ll have to decide whether he’s coming back to college at all.
The expectation is that Carr would consider only a handful of schools — three or four options — and that Kentucky will definitely be on that short list should he opt to return for a fourth year of college basketball. He has not yet announced any sort of school list.
UK and the other college programs pursuing him might have to wait a bit to find out whether or not he’ll be a realistic addition for next season.
It’s become clear that Carr’s first priority is getting a fair assessment of his NBA Draft stock.
“They’re going to take their time with this. They’re in no rush,” Branham said. “The initial NBA feedback is supposed to come out next week. But his time frame is not going to be determined by that feedback. He wants to get in front of NBA teams and be able to go through workouts and showcase what he’s able to do right in front of them. There’s no real telling of when that’s actually going to happen.”
The NBA recently announced some major dates related to the draft process, with the 2021 draft itself scheduled for July 29 and the NBA Combine set for June 21-27. To Branham’s point, however, there’s no word yet on how individual and team workouts will be handled this summer.
The NCAA has confirmed that July 7 will be its official NBA Draft withdrawal date for college basketball players wishing to return to school. Obviously, that date is still three months away.
Branham said there is always a chance that Carr gets decisive-enough feedback next week to make an informed decision to either go all in with the draft or remove his name completely and start looking at college options. But that scenario doesn’t seem likely.
ESPN updated its Top 100 rankings for the 2021 draft Thursday morning, and Carr came in at No. 93 overall on that list. There are only 60 players selected in the draft, meaning he probably has work to do to show NBA scouts he’s worthy of a pick this summer.
“So Carr is one that we may not see an answer come from for some time,” Branham said. “Right now, they are not in a rush. And it sounds like they’re focused on trying to get in front of NBA teams for personal workouts.”
