The Education of Vince Carter
by Evan Dunlap on May 13, 2010 12:00 PM EDT
in Analysis
Email
Print
Between his strong play, his team's dominance, and his first appearance in a Conference Finals, Vince Carter is riding high. And really, why wouldn't he be? He reportedly ran around screaming with happiness when informed the Orlando Magic had acquired him from the New Jersey Nets this summer, and 11 months later, he's just 8 wins shy of winning an NBA championship.
How easily we forget, though, just how disastrous that acquisition appeared to be just four months ago, with Carter missing 72.6% of his shots and scoring a point every 3 minutes. Indeed, his January slump led Chad Ford speculate the Magic might trade him for Tracy McGrady's expiring contract, and thus essentially give up on the season. And Henry Abbott, who's not prone to hyperbole, wrote over 1000 words on how poorly Carter played in a single game against the Boston Celtics. "It's hard to remember any player have a worse game," he said. He played so horribly that some NBA fans all over these here innernets began to wonder if the Magic would have been better off with 0-time All-Star Hedo Turkoglu instead.
So how did he turn it around so quickly?
As it turns out, Carter was simply mired in a monstrous slump. And he was playing through nagging injuries to his left ankle and left shoulder, which exacerbated his ineffectiveness. But he's put that January long behind him, and played at an All-Star level from February to the end of the season. He took fewer shots, scored more efficiently, and became a more willing passer.
If you're talking points per game, the season's first month was Carter's most productive, with 19.9 average. But there's more to being effective offensively than just putting the ball in the hoop. Efficiency matters, and Carter was lacking in that area, needing 19.1 shooting possessions to score 19.9 points. In December, he took fewer shots, but his scoring was similarly inefficient. We covered January already.
But look at February, March, and April. He began to fully understand his role, as he shot less and scored more efficiently. Moreover, his Pure Point Rating--a measure of passing proficiency which counts a turnover as more harmful than an assist is helpful, and adjust for minutes played--has increased in each of the last four months. January's ho-hum 1.5 figure is in line with the season-long total of Cleveland's Anthony Parker. The 5.0 mark he posted in April would put him in the league's top 15 were he to maintain it for the entire season, and bests those of starting point guards like Raymond Felton, Andre Miller, Devin Harris, and Michael Conley, to name but a few.
The data on the chart thus suggest that a combination of injuries and unfamiliarity with coach Stan Van Gundy's offense worked against Carter in the early season. But now? He gets it, which is good news for Orlando, and decidedly bad for the rest of the league.
20 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
A lot of our potential opponenets are really counting on him to revert to "old" Vince.
He’s proving them wrong so far, and I have a feeling he’ll keep it up.
I'm glad to see VC proving people wrong
There were a lot of masters of panic on this site back in January ready to crucify his ass.
Never trust a fart
by AB's triple double on May 13, 2010 12:21 PM EDT reply actions
what about D
every year we get lit up by 2 guards going for 40 or 50 small forwards too, in the past 3 years Bogans, Lee, Evans- all brought in for Defense and viewed as above average defenders were not able to even slow anybody down. I just did not see that this year.we got lit up a few times but nothing like in years past.I thought he did a decent job on Wallace in the first round who is argueably the best player on the team.He does all the little things even when his shot isint falling. In all Howards time here I dont think Ive seen anyone in his ear like Carter is,( something I never saw from Turk). all these things are things that were said to be his major flaws? Boy do I cringe when he hits the floor though.Im glad hes here and I hope he gets to finish his career here.
you should know i bleed blue, but I aint a cripp tho.
Man I just hate it that Vince doesn't have the athleticism anymore
Because that would’ve been so great to see. He still has “some” of it, but you get the idea. I’ve watched pretty much all his games as a Net… and he is just a unique pure talent. You can’t really compare him to anybody. He just was out of spotlight playing for sucky teams like the Raptors and the Nets… missing on the playoffs and so on. So people generally see him as a “dunker” only, despite the fact that he has one of the most beautiful, precise, difficult-looking-easy, extreme range shots I have ever seen. He might as well have (had) the greatest range in the NBA as a regular jumpshot.
So I definitely hope I see the flashes of brilliance I got used to see while I watched Nets game.
I don't know if it qualifies as athleticism
but I bet there’s not too many 33 year old players that can do 360 two handed dunks.
"I just Rashard'ed my pants!!!!"
by Wally Balls 407 on May 13, 2010 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions
my favorite by far this year was the dunk on D-West and Varejao
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
Yes, that was awesome.
So was the dunk in that 48-point explosion against the Hornets.
I hate Varejao.
I agree
There has been a time or two that VC would have dunked on someone in the past.
FEED THE BEAST!!!
Twitter Account
a time or two hundred... happens 2-3 times a game
The real "Masters of Panic" are commenting on this blog.
by ben_gleicher on May 14, 2010 12:24 AM EDT up reply actions
I don’t care if Abott goes and writes 3000 words about one VC’s bad game. Vince had great games even early in the season (remember 4rth quarter first game against Boston?). For me it was all about his role in the team. I think people were right to critise him when they felt that he stoped the ball mouvement or was taking too many shots. As for “regreting” Hedo, I don’t care about that either. I loved Hedo but once he was gonne, he was gonne. As Ben points out once VC got the shoulder back (whatever prevents you from extending your hand gonna affect your shooting) and he figured the offense out things started to roll. The big challenge is ahead and he’s sure gonna take it.
Time to get that finger bling-bling
Don't mind my spelling. I'm a Typo Master.
Hey I loved Turk too, even got a jersey of his, but I cant tell you how many times I saw him downtown drinking the night before a game and sometimes(most times) it showed ( hes already been benched for this in Toronto) but I still love him and will always cherish the Turk era here in Orlando, but I cant help but to gloat about the upgrade.I think the only thing on his mind this year was Basketball, can you say that about any 1 year Turk was here?
you should know i bleed blue, but I aint a cripp tho.
Crazy thought.
he’s just 8 wins shy of winning an NBA championship.
FEED THE BEAST!!!
Twitter Account
I thought the same thing too.
I never imagined him becoming the first offensive option. When they announced that Carter was joining the Magic I thought he was an upgrade over Hedo, but that Dwight and Rashard would still be 1 and 2 options on offense, and Carter was gonna be there for 4th quarters and such.
Truth be told, he is not really the Magic’s top scorer. No one is, no matter what the numbers might say. All 4 All-Stars can pick it up, depending on the game. That’s the balance of the Magic, and a problem for other teams.
Anyways, I will admit I was never a fan of VC (in the past), I always viewed him as an underachiever stuck in sucky teams. Now, reviewing some old footage and reading a bit about what he did with Toronto and the Nets, I’ve come to realize he isn’t just a highlight reel junkie.
Magic Fan since the 1992-1993 Season.
by North of the South on May 13, 2010 4:30 PM EDT reply actions
The good thing is..
Our opponents doesn’t know who to concentrate on defense one minute it’s dwight.. then it’s meer.. then it’s rashard.. then it’s vince.. I think it was the game plan from the start of the season.. and for all i know… it’s working.. :)
we don't light the stars, we simply fade with them..
My friend had a really stupid argument that the Cavs would be untouchable if Shaq was Dwight's age right now.
Ridiculous, but it got me thinking. I think veteran VC fits us a lot more than “Dunk de la mort” Vince. I think beyond his January slump and injuries, he’s really delivered what he was traded for.
I remember there was some BS going around that VC doesn’t pass well enough, or enough at all.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Orlando Pinstriped Post
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
