National Basketball Association

What's Wrong With Michael Carter-Williams?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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What is wrong with Michael Carter-Williams that teams seem to give up on him so quickly?

In a move that has shocked some and puzzled others, guard Michael Carter-Williams is on his way to the Chicago Bulls.

The trade was announced on Sunday, and it puts the former Milwaukee Bucks floor general on his third team in the first four years of his career.

For a former Rookie of the Year winner, that is crazy to even write. But what is it that makes teams not stick with Williams for very long?

Is there something fundamentally wrong with his game? If so, can he fix it, or does he risk being out of the league in the next couple of years?

On the surface it is hard to consider, Carter-Williams is a long guard (listed at 6’6″) who averaged 16.7 points as a rookie.

Jan 4, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) sets up a play in the first quarter during the game against the San Antonio Spurs at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Although that was as a part of a bad Philadelphia 76ers team, he also averaged a triple-double against a Miami Heat team featuring their ‘Big Three’ during his first couple of weeks in the league.

I remember watching a classic duel he had with fellow rookie Victor Oladipo of the Orlando Magic that season, when both men secured triple-doubles.

I wasn’t ready to turn the league over to them both, but Carter-Williams had the perfect blend of knowing when to score and when to get teammates going.

He had that figured out after less than 50 professional games, and that is something that many players never fully understand.

Things didn’t work out for him in Philadelphia, but that is not all his own fault. Right now it looks like another talented young player, Nerlens Noel, may also be moved from there despite his clear upside.

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Landing with the up and coming Bucks was a nice save as well, and in the 25 games he played to finish out the 2014-15 season with the team, he averaged 14.1 points.

He did so while playing four less minutes a night (30.3 compared to the 34.5 in Philadelphia). He also gave the team 5.6 assists and four rebounds right away.

He also closed out that year with a Player Efficiency Rating of 16.3, above the league average of 15 and also a career high to date. It looked promising for Carter-Williams.

He reached the postseason for the first time, as the Bucks got eliminated in the first round by the Bulls, in what was an engrossing series.

Last year didn’t go to plan for the Bucks, with the addition of Greg Monroe not working out the way they would have hoped.

Carter-Williams was gradually fazed out, starting 37 of the 54 games he appeared in. He had career lows in points (11.5), assists (5.2) and free throw attempts (three).

That last number is important as Carter-Williams is not known for his shooting, doing most of his damage closer to the rim. It was clear he was going there less though.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee’s best player, was handed the keys to the franchise, and he will be playing as a hybrid point guard this coming season.

Really from that moment on, the writing was on the wall for Carter-Williams, and this is why I worry for him.

He is going from a situation where he looked set up to succeed and posted healthy numbers with the Bucks, to a murkier role with the Bulls.

He is now going to back up Rajon Rondo. He will also be fighting for minutes with Jerian Grant and Denzel Valentine, young guys with a lot of promise.

Flexibility rules in today’s NBA, and having different ways to beat your opponent is what sets the contenders apart from the pretenders.

Carter-Williams has a similar skill set to Rondo, which makes this move even more puzzling. The second unit of the Bulls were the best three-point shooting group in the league last year too (shooting 39.3 percent as a collective).

Adding Carter-Williams to that mix will surely make that number suffer. The spacing of that second group in Chicago is what will allow them to flourish as they are set up in a much different way to their starting five.

On the surface at least it looks like the unique skill set of Carter-Williams will not be showcased properly in Chicago.

If it doesn’t work out for him there, how many more chances would he realistically have left in the league?

Being traded straight up for Tony Snell is an insult as well. That’s no disrespect to Snell, and in fact his move to Milwaukee should benefit him hugely.

He’s a starting caliber player with what he can do on both ends of the court. But Carter-Williams is surely worth more than that.

The reason teams go off him so soon is sadly obvious, but there is something that can be done to fix this. Right around the time Carter-Willams came into the league was when spacing and three-point shooting really took off.

Jan 14, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) reaches to block a shot by Philadelphia 76ers guard Michael Carter-Williams (1) during the first half at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

As recently as 10 years ago, he would have been lauded as a Magic Johnson type guard given his height and passing ability.

But all is not lost because Carter-Williams can actually shoot the ball, despite what people may think. Last year, even with a diminished role and having factors working against him, he shot 27.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Is that a solid number? No, but it was a career high. As a rookie, Carter-Williams attempted three long range efforts a night, and he averaged 25.6 percent.

Although the jump to 27.3 percent is a small one, he did so while only taking one three point effort a game last season. It’s a small positive, but he has improved in this area.

That may be the key to surviving in the NBA. Carter-Williams has also never posted a negative defensive plus/minus score, with a career average of 0.7.

Plenty of other players have made a living out of defending All-Star level players every night, and Carter-Williams has the length to even trouble some of the smaller forwards.

He just has too much to offer a team when used in the right way, but I fear for his career now that he is a member of the Chicago Bulls.

At 25 years of age and not even in his prime, there’s so much to like about Michael Carter-Williams and his game.

Unfortunately for him though, it goes against the style teams are trying to put out on the court in today’s NBA. It may one day cost him his place in the league.

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