Thunderous Intentions
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2018 NBA Draft: Tony Carr could be the next two-way guard in OKC

By Benjamin McCoy

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 01: Tony Carr #10 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates giving his team a seven-point lead late in the game against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second round of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 1, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 01: Tony Carr #10 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates giving his team a seven-point lead late in the game against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second round of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 1, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /
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NBA Draft
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – FEBRUARY 18: Tony Carr #10 of the Penn State Nittany Lions shoots the ball against Nojel Eastern #20 of the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena on February 18, 2018 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Awards and honors:

First-team All-Big Ten (2018)
Big Ten All-Freshman team (2017)
Mr. Pennsylvania Basketball (2016)

Pro comparison:

Pro Comparison:
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor compared him to Jarret Jack, Rodney Stuckey and Jordan Crawford.

I know it’s late in the draft, but I just don’t see it. Especially when you have Troy Brown at twelve and are comparing him to Kris Middleton. Troy Brown and Tony Carr who you have at fifty-nine, are more similar than Troy Brown and Kris Middleton.

Sure, Troy Brown is about two inches taller and two inches longer, but Tony Carr is literally better at almost everything else. And the stats back it up. They tested very similarly athletically and have similar projections in what they can excel at as players.

Personally, I see Tony Carr as a slightly better offensive and a slightly worse defensive version of young George Hill. Call me crazy, but I don’t think Carr’s athletic limitations are going to prevent him from becoming a good player. And while it may prevent him from becoming a great one, the upside is there nonetheless.

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Current ranking:

ESPN/DraftExpress: 54th

The Ringer: 52nd

Draft Net: 53rd

CBS Sports: 60th

Sports Illustrated: 51st

Bleacher Report: 50th

Basketball Insider: 64th

Sporting News: 56th

Fit with OKC Thunder:

Tony Carr’s 3-point shooting ability, size to play and defend both guard spots, and ability to create for others make him an ideal fit for OKC. Especially considering how far he is projected to drop.

Getting talent late in the second round can be a difficult task. In an ideal world Presti would package the picks and move up, but OKC needs good cheap rotational players. And if your odds of hitting on a player in the second round are slim anyway, you might as well double them. Especially considering the depth of talent in this year’s draft.

At the very least Carr will fill backup point guard duties and space the floor next to Westbrook. Best case scenario, Carr reaches his full potential and OKC has an all-star caliber guard to pair next to Westbrook. Either way, Tony Carr presents good value for the Thunder in a year where they don’t have a first-round pick.

Next: Top 15 NBA Draft picks in OKC Thunder franchise history

So get used to hearing his name because if Presti doesn’t make a move it’s likely one of the two you will hear called in this year’s NBA Draft.

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