Spurs Sign DeMarre Carroll: Reaction And Analysis
DeMarre Carroll Signs with Spurs (Photo via BleacherReport.com)
The San Antonio Spurs have signed free agent forward DeMarre Carroll to a two-year, $13 million deal, according to Shams Charania. The contract can be finalized on July 6th when the NBA’s free agency moratorium ends.
Carroll fills the San Antonio’s primary need this offseason: a long small forward who is also capable of playing power forward. He also has legitimate three-point range, a necessary trait for any addition to this team that ranked last in the NBA in three-pointers attempted in 2018-19. For his career, he’s a 36% three-point shooter. He shot 8.7 threes per 100 possession in each of his previous two seasons with the Brooklyn Nets.
The 6-foot-8, 215-pounder has vast experience at small forward and power forward. Last season, Carroll played 72% of his minutes at power forward for the small-ball happy Nets. Three seasons ago, he played 73% of his minutes at small forward with the Toronto Raptors.
In addition to his three-point shooting and positional flexibility, Carroll is a quality defender. The Nets surrendered 2.4 less points per 100 possessions when he was on the court last season and 1.6 less points the previous season. He’s agile enough to defend most small forwards and strong enough to hang with a majority of power forwards in today’s NBA.
DeMarre Carroll Signing By Spurs A Bargain?
Carroll’s skill-set is similar to what Al-Farouq Aminu brings to the table. Earlier today, Aminu agreed to a three-year, $29 million deal with the Orlando Magic.
Aminu is the better rebounder and is more active on defense, while Carroll is the more prolific three-point shooter. Otherwise, they’re very similar on a per possession basis.
Why were the Spurs able to agree to terms with Carroll on a contract significantly smaller than the one Aminu received from the Magic?
First of all, Carroll is 32 years old — four years older than Aminu. Never the quickest of athletes, Carroll’s ability to defend small forwards out on the perimeter could be coming to an end. Once he turns into a full-time power forward, his value diminishes significantly.
Secondly, Carroll shot-selection isn’t as efficient as many analytics-driven front offices would prefer. Last season, he attempted 7.4 two-pointers per 100 possessions even though he shot a woeful 45.7% on twos. To put that number in perspective, Marco Belinelli had San Antonio’s worst two-point percentage last year at 46.8%.
Conclusion: DeMarre Carroll To The Spurs
Overall, the Spurs signing Carroll is a reasonably strong move. It fills the team’s main void without spending an exorbitant amount of money. Carroll can hit threes, defend multiple positions and can hypothetically fit either a starting role at power forward or come off the bench to provide valuable depth at both forward positions.
We’ll have more analysis on the Carroll signing soon. Let us know what you think of the newest Spur in the comment section below or discuss it on the forum.