Where NBA Draft prospect Vernon Carey Jr. fits best
Luckily for Vernon Carey Jr., with where he is currently projected as a mid-to-late first-round selection or even possibly a player who could slide to the start of the second round, there’s a number of teams who might benefit from adding Vernon Carey Jr. to their roster.
Look at the Boston Celtics, and how the one thing they seem to be missing from being a complete contender is that interior presence Al Horford brought to the team. With Carey Jr. being one of the three first-round selections Boston has, he could go under Brad Stevens and play the Horford role, operating in the post, using pick-and-pop, and focusing on rebounding.
The Oklahoma City Thunder could have two late first-round picks, and Carey would be excellent as an eventual replacement for Steven Adams with even more offensive upside. With the slower pace, and post actions Billy Donovan runs Carey could be the perfect foil to Shai Gilegous-Alexander in the future.
Lastly, teams like the Utah Jazz or the San Antonio Spurs would be wise to target Carey as they both tend to play much more of throwback offenses recently and put emphasis on post play. Carey would be a fit in either spot potentially replacing a traded away Rudy Gobert or being the eventual successor to the aging LaMarcus Aldridge.
Obviously, with any draft selection, there is a downside and much of Carey’s ceiling relies on the team drafting him to actually use their player development programs to really grow his game and allow him to blossom. If they do not then there’s a chance Carey doesn’t improve his shot or passing enough to actually reach this level but if a team really puts assets into growing Carey, a lot of other teams might regret not selecting him in the 2020 NBA Draft.