Scouting Report: Tyson Carter
Tyson Carter is amongst the youngest US rookies playing in Europe but he is already making a name for himself on both sides of the floor. His team Lavrio is playing great in Greek League and has already won against top teams like Panathinaikos, Promitheas, Peristeri and AEK Athens this season. And Tyson is probably the most important player of his team!
BACKGROUND INFO
Position: G
Height: 193 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Date of Birth: 14/07/1998
Nationality: American
Previous clubs:
N/A
Tyson played his High School years for Starkville where his father, Greg, was his coach. He was named Gatorade Player of the Year in Mississippi in 2016 an award that is given to up and coming high school student-athletes. As a 4-star recruit he commited to Mississippi State and played all four years of his college career there. He averaged 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in his Senior year and got a SEC Sixth Man of the Year award. In summer he signed his first professional contact with Lavrio.
VIDEO REPORT:
OFFENSE
Spot up shooting: Tyson is one of the best spot up shooters in Greece at the moment averaging 1.49 points per possession. The sample size isn’t the biggest but is starting to tell a story. His release is pretty smooth with high shot arc. Could be higher but things that work well shouldn’t be fixed too much. He is a catch & shoot type of player, prepared for shot and doesn’t need much time and preparation to pull the trigger. Can become a reliable spot up shooter even though his free throw percentages are bad this season so far (8/18 44.4 %).
Slashing: Explosive accelerator that can get past defenders and to the basket easily. Has great accelerations with ball in his hands and also a quick first step from stand still. With his quickness he can also throw defenders out of balance and make himself an easier job to get past them. Ambidextrous finisher around the rim but struggles with finishes under contact because of his thin frame and weak body. Showing some decent touch around the rim and should try more floaters/runners over taller defenders to become a more dangerous offensive player.
Passing: More a secondary creator so far but showing some glimpses of promising court vision and passing touch. He reads the defense well and can pass on all levels. His passes should be stronger/sharper since they can be intercepted too easily sometimes. Averages 3.2 assists per 36 minutes and has an 17.7 % AST % this season so far. Solid numbers for a player that is not running the offense most of the time but there is potential for more and his numbers should get better over years when he gets more used to European basketball and gets more experience
Pick & roll: Not the best pick & roll player so far but, in my opinion, he has the potential to become a good one. Triple threat in pick & rolls and can shoot, go all the way to the rim or find the best pass to his team mate. Reads the defense well and usually makes the right decision. Has room for improvement in all departments of his pick & roll game, especially in off the dribble shooting and passing to the roller.
Transition: Pretty important aspect of his game. He likes to run or push forward after getting a steal or grabbing a rebound. Speedy on open court and has good ball control in high speed situations. Capable of going all the way to the rim or passing to an open team mate. Making good reads and decisions on the go with high speed.
Cutting: Maybe even his best strength. His instincts and feel for cuts are on elite level. He reads the defense well, has great timing and also communicates well with his team mates that he is going to cut. WIth his explosive change of direction he can lose his defender pretty easily.
DEFENSE
Perimeter defense: Great perimeter defender and can become an even better one when his body develops and adds more strength. Has great length, quick feet and hands and also moves good laterally. Slides his feet really well and offensive players can’t lose him so easily. Plays aggressive but clean on-ball defense without doing any stupid or unnecessary fouls. Patient and not going for pocket steals often.
Full court press defense: One of the main reasons for great defensive numbers from Lavrio this season is Tyson’s full court defense. He is usually playing full court press on opponents main ball handler. Defending patiently and not going for pocket steals, just taking away the time from the shot clock or forcing offensive player to make a mistake. Most of the time he takes away at least 10 seconds before opponents can start their set. Can also play great deny defense and don’t let his man get the ball and force a turnover.
Pick & roll defense: Good defender at defending the ball handler. His anticipation for screens could be better since he gets hit or stuck at screens too often. Also could navigate the operator and position his feet sooner so he could go around screens smoother. There could also be some communication issues in defense and that could be the reason for not preparing for the coming screen. Even though with his light feet and good footwork he can recover pretty well and still contest most shots.
Steals: Great instincts and anticipation for interceptions and deflections. Reads the offense good and always waiting to jump out and make an interception. It looks so naturally when he is doing it and rarely he falls out of the defensive scheme without a steal or at least deflections. Has quick hands and long arms which is usually a great sign for top defensive players. Averages 2.3 steals per 36 minutes so far this season and has a 3.5 % steal percentage.
Post up defense: Even though guards usually don’t have to defend on post ups, it’s always nice to have a player that can switch and compete on post up too. Tyson lacks strength and weigth to compete and hold his positions on. He is moved too easily and could be targeted in post up situations on higher level. Probably his post up defense will improve over years when he bulks up but till then this aspect is his main liability in defense.
SUMMARY
Tyson is a player with great talent and a game that translates to the sytle played on European top level. Great athlete who can play on- and off-ball with great spot up shooting (so you need to guard him closely) and also a great feel for cuts (so you shouldn’t guard him too close).
His on-ball game probably needs more improvements, especially in his pick & roll game. Pick & roll is something most teams are playing and guards that can run pick & rolls efficiently are always welcomed in any team. He shows some glimpses in his game that he could become a good pick & roll player too.
Also needs to work on his body and improve his physicality. Greek league is pretty physical and tough and he could make improvements with just competing in the league but I’m sure he will do some summer work on his body too.
Really interesting player with great talent and could make it to some short lists of teams that are looking for potential players that could develop into elite players for European market.
