Penn State Basketball: Tony Carr being drafted by the Pelicans is a great fit

Penn State guard Tony Carr was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans at the 51st pick of the 2018 NBA Draft.

It finally happened! For the first time since Calvin Booth in 1999, Penn State had a player selected in the NBA Draft: Tony Carr. This comes after a season where Tony Carr led the Nittany Lions to an NIT Championship, averaging 19.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 5.9 APG while shooting over 43 percent from three-point range.

Although Carr’s stock dropped since he declared for the NBA Draft in April, the New Orleans Pelicans may have been one of the best fits for Tony Carr.

First of all, the Pelicans only had one draft pick, No. 51. If Tony Carr was going to be drafted in the second round, it was perfect that he was drafted by a team that only had one pick. This way, Carr will get a ton of the attention, which can certainly help his development as a player.

Another reason why I like the Pelicans as a fit is because they had one of the most shallow rosters in the league last season. In the NBA Playoffs, the Pelicans were only bringing three or four players off the bench, which was a huge weak spot for them. The lack of depth for the Pelicans makes me think that Carr can make the Pelicans’ roster right away.

In addition, the Pelicans are in need of a backup point guard. Assuming Rajon Rondo re-signs in New Orleans, Frank Jackson will be the only backup point guard under contract. Jackson was selected by the Hornets at pick 31 in the 2017 NBA Draft, and later traded to the Pelicans, but missed his whole rookie year with a foot injury.

Like Carr, Jackson will also need to prove himself to the team, which leads me to believe that the backup point guard spot is wide open right now.

Furthermore, being surrounded by veterans like Jrue Holiday and Rajon Rondo will be a huge positive for Tony Carr, as he can certainly learn a lot from them. Going against them in practice won’t hurt either.

Pelicans GM Dell Demps had a press conference following the draft, where he discussed the selection of Tony Carr. Demps said he likes Carr’s ‘ability to score’ and that he Pelicans are ‘pretty excited’ about drafting him.

"“He’s a guy that’s been on the radar for us for a while. Bryson Graham, our Director of Scouting, has really been talking about him, even all the way back from the Nike Camp last year.”  – Dell Demps on Tony Carr"

Tony Carr will be playing for the Pelicans in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, which begins on July 6. Games can be seen on NBA TV and ESPN.