The Capricious Injury Bug - Kevin Stacom

The Capricious Injury Bug - Kevin Stacom

It’s something every player is aware of but, by necessity, must do his best to bury as best he can from his conscious mindset. It was reported a few days ago that Devin Carter underwent shoulder surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder The relative good news is that it is his left shoulder and not his more crucial right shoulder for a right-handed player. The tougher aspect of the announcement is that they expect Devin to be out for six months. 

 

After doing a little research on the matter, I came across Dr. Micheal Freehill from Stanford University Medical, who is also the team physician for that University’s athletic department with a specialty in shoulder treatments and surgery. Dr Freehill was asked to comment on Carter’s particular case, and with the disclaimer that he was not privy to any details, stated that he could extrapolate from Sacramento’s six-month recovery estimate that it was the more serious “superior” labrum rather than the typical 4 months recovery for the “posterior” labrum.

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As disheartening as this setback must be for Carter, it actually, in a way, bodes well for his long-term prospects in Sacramento. I say this because it was also reported in the local Sacramento press that Devin sustained the injury at a predraft workout before the draft, and General Manager Monte McNair was aware of the severity of the injury and was still not dissuaded from utilizing the 13th pick of the draft to select him. Obviously this indicates their scouting and analytics department thought that much of Carter to allow their evaluation to supersede any hesitation over the impending medical issue. 

 

Additionally, in Devin Carter's favor is that they made this decision despite the fact that they traded backup Davion Mitchell to the Toronto Raptors, and they’ll have to at least temporarily fill the void behind starter and All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox. 

             

What all those factors indicate is that Carter is viewed by Sacramento as an integral piece of their future plans, which means their commitment to him will give him the best possible chance of success. 

               

The irony of the overall positive position of Devin Carter’s current situation, despite this hopefully temporary setback, is that it probably had its genesis with the unfortunate injury to teammate Bryce Hopkins. 

             

Hopkins was coming off a very impressive sophomore campaign: 

15.8 points; 8.5 rebounds; 2.3 assists; 76% FT’s; 36% 3’s; 45% FG’s

             

And a 1st team preseason All-Big East team selection. 

           

PC was off to a very solid, promising start last season. They were 11 wins/ 2 losses, including two signature wins vs. Wisconsin and 6th ranked Marquette when disaster struck early in the 2nd 1/2 against Seton Hall as Bryce Hopkins went down with a season-ending ACL injury. 

                   

Up until that point Carter was having a solid season marginally improving on his very solid sophomore campaign of 13.1 points; 4.9 rebounds; 2.5 assists; 72% FT’s; 30% 3’s; 43% FG’s; 1.8 steals. 

                 

But I don’t think anyone, including myself, foresaw the fury with which Carter was about to unleash in his zeal to fill the void left by Hopkins’ absence In those first 13 games prior to Bryce’s injury, Carter was averaging a respectable 16.2 points and about 5 rebounds a game. After 4 losses in a row, starting with that fateful Seton Hall game, PC was able to regroup with a great road win at Seton Hall five games later. During this post-injury to Hopkins span, Carter began to reel off games of 25, 31,18, 25, 29, 20, and 28 points, along with many double-digit rebounding games to compliment his newfound scoring barrage.

             

Obviously, the new style of coaching, which was emphasized by Kim English, began to take root in his software. 

 

In his sophomore year under Coach Ed Cooley, only 35% of his shots were 3-point attempts. That figure for his junior year, with the encouragement of Coach English, exponentially increased to just under 50% of his FG attempts being 3's. This confidence-building encouragement by the coach was no doubt a big factor enabling him to realize his upside potential. It’s also probable that the firestorm he created on the court as a dominant 2-way player might never have happened to this degree if his mentality was still geared to deferring to another excellent player.

               

Carter’s final statistics for his Junior year:

19.7 points; 8.7 rebounds; 3.6 assists; 38% 3’s; 75% FT’s; 47% FG’s; 1.8 steals

             

This positive and forceful reorientation of his game, initiated by his newfound circumstances, changed the opinion of a veteran scout like myself from vaguely appreciating his overall game to demanding that I consider a total re-evaluation of his NBA potential. More importantly, he forced the people who mattered most for his future to come to the same conclusion. That is why, as mentioned, he’s now in the position he is in - as frustrating as it might be for him. Given his competitive nature, I'm sure he’ll repay Sacramento’s investment and patience in spades.

             

As for his former teammate inextricably tied to his fate, Bryce Hopkins, he also should be in a fortuitous situation this year upon his return With all the talent across the board that Kim English and his staff have enticed into the program; it won’t be possible for opposing defenses to key on him as they were previously without paying in a heavy price Im sure like Carter when his exile is over he’ll be in a position to play with the freedom he hasn’t been able to in a long time.