Syracuse Basketball: Michael Carter-Williams earned his keep in 2019

Syracuse basketball alum Michael Carter-Williams substantiates his transaction-riddled career and evolves into a competent backup point guard in 2019.

Michael Carter-Williams‘ six-year career in the NBA, split between six different organizations, fluctuated between All-Star caliber talent, and mediocrity.

Carter-Williams anchored the Syracuse Orange to a 30-10 record and fifth Final Four berth in its history in 2013, was drafted 11th overall by Philadelphia that summer, and swiftly took home the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award in 2014 (70 GP, 16.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.9 SPG).

The 6-foot-6 point guard followed up his early rise to NBA stardom with two consecutive seasons of brilliance split between Philadelphia and Milwaukee (132 GP, 14.5 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.7 SPG) after being one of the centerpieces in a three-team deal that included Syracuse alum, Tyler Ennis.

Less than two weeks into the 2015 NBA season, Milwaukee exercised Carter-Williams’ $3.18 million contract for the following season. After a productive 2015-16 campaign in which the third-year player averaged 11.5 points,  5.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists, the Bucks traded the guard to Chicago for Tony Snell on October 17, 2016.

After a forgetful first year with Chicago (45 GP, 6.6 PPG, 3.4 RPB, 2.5 APG), Carter-Williams’ $4.35 million qualifying offer was declined by the Bulls after Kris Dunn joined an already crowded backcourt in the Windy City. The Syracuse product spent less than two weeks as an unrestricted free agent before joining Charlotte on a one-year, $2.7 million deal in July 2017.

Another year of less-than-mediocre play from the point guard passed by (52 GP, 4.6 PPG, 2.7 RPB, 2.2 APG), and the once prized prospect was slowly becoming an end-of-the-rotation option around the league.

Last July, MCW signed a one-year, $1.76 million deal with the Houston Rockets, and much like fellow SU alum Carmelo Anthony, the guard was trying to substantiate his once dominant play in Space City.

After averaging four points, a rebound, an assist, and 0.6 steals across 16 games with the Rockets, Carter-Williams was traded to Chicago for the second time in his career alongside some cash for a top-55 protected pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The point guard was waived by the Bulls on the same day.

After more than two months out of the league, Carter-Williams’ 2019 was shaping out to be even worse than his forgetful 2018. On March 15th, the 27-year-old signed a 10-day contract with the playoff-contending Orlando Magic, and after a compelling week-and-a-half of play, he was rewarded with another 10-day deal with the club.

On April 4, just six days before the conclusion of the NBA regular season, the Orlando Magic found themselves tied with Brooklyn for seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings.

With ninth place Miami just one game back of potentially overtaking the Magic, their front office took a bet on Carter-Williams.

After signature performances in key wins over Philadelphia (15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, six rebounds, two steals) on March 25th and Indiana (10 points on 4-of-6 shooting), five assists, two blocks) on March 30, the Magic gave the journeyman a Rest-of-Season contract after contributing towards seven wins in his first nine games with the organization.

Carter-Williams went on to average 5.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and two steals during Orlando’s three-game winning streak to close out the regular season and cement their place as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference standings for the postseason.

In Orlando’s shocking game one victory over the eventual NBA champion Toronto Raptors, Carter-Williams fed off of his starting point guard DJ Augustin’s brilliance, finishing the 104-101 victory with 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists on just 4-of-8 shooting. Carter-Williams shifted the momentum of the game, and the confidence of his team with 6:43 remaining in the fourth quarter and his team down by four.

After breaking his nose on a missed foul call, Carter-Williams was restrained by his teammates when trying to run after the referees as blood rushed down his face.

Although the Magic would wind up losing the series in five, MCW played through his nose injury and finished his third career postseason with averages of 18.4 minutes, 6.6 points, four rebounds, and 2.4 assists, and 0.6 steals.

Over 12 regular-season contests with Orlando, Carter-Williams averaged 5.4 points, nearly five rebounds, over four assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.9 steals, all while averaging minutes in the teens. Per 36 minutes, the veteran point guard averaged over 10 points, nine rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.4 blocks.

Four months ago, MCW’s future in the NBA was unknown. After a noticeable increase in play since March 15, the point guard should have at least garnered some serious interest from a handful of front offices around the NBA.

It’ll be interesting to see if Carter-Williams’ offseason destination entails him staying in Florida, another team in the NBA, or elsewhere.

Regardless, the hard-working point guard earned his keep in a competitive NBA during the latter stages of the 2018-19 regular season and substantiated his growth during the playoffs.