Veteran swingman Vince Carter will return to the Atlanta Hawks after agreeing to a deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Carter already signaled his intention to continue playing in 2019-20, extending his NBA career to a 22nd season. He was noncommittal about a return to the Hawks specifically, though.
Per Wojnarowski, there is an “expectation” that Carter will retire following next season.
The eight-time All-Star appeared in 76 games for Atlanta, averaging 7.4 points, 2.6 rebound and 1.1 assists while shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from three-point range.
Occasionally, Carter rolled back the years and delivered a highlight-reel jam.
For the most part, the 42-year-old was a spot-up shooter and perimeter threat.
According to Basketball Reference, 67.5 percent of his field-goal attempts were from beyond the arc, the highest distribution of his career. More than three-fourths of his shots were either in catch-and-shoots (57.5 percent) or pull-up (18.6 percent) situations as well, per NBA.com.
Carter deserves a lot of credit for recognizing the shifting offensive trends in the league and adapting in order to prolong his career. Carmelo Anthony, for example, has failed to make that change and thus went unsigned for much of 2018-19.
Carter has also turned himself into a veteran leader who shows a willingness to aid in the development of a team’s younger players, which made him a sensible addition to a rebuilding Hawks squad.
“Vince is definitely a great mentor to have in the locker room,” Hawks center Dewayne Dedmon said of Carter, per Kevin Chouinard of the Hawks’ official website. “A lot of the stuff you learn from Vince is just from watching him, just the professionalism. He’s 42. He’s still out here, and Trae’s 20. He’s out here with these little kids and still getting it done. It’s phenomenal.”
Giving Carter a roster spot is becoming a slightly harder bargain to make. He finished with minus-3.3 and minus-6.3 net ratings over the past two years, the two worst figures of his career, per NBA.com. He was never a great defender—even in his prime—and his defensive flaws are more glaring with how limited his role on offense has become.
The Hawks are obviously happy to keep him around. Atlanta arguably exceeded expectations in 2018-19, winning five more games compared to the season before and finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference.
The team has two lottery picks incoming this summer—its own and the Dallas Mavericks’ first-rounder. In general, the Hawks have a promising future but remain well off the level necessary to contend for the postseason.
Atlanta can once again rely on Carter’s experience and leadership to help the younger players on the roster without his diminishing on-court returns drastically affecting its overall ceiling.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
