Carrington taken 14th overall; will begin career with the Wizards

The Washington Wizards, by way of a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, selected former Pitt guard Carlton ‘Bub’ Carrington with the No. 14 overall pick in the first round moments ago. Carrington will join a Wizards team coming off of an dreadful 15-67 season and will join a roster that also features the No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr.

The Panthers' guard is a native of Baltimore, and will stay close to home to begin his professional career and lands in the lottery after a successful freshman season in Pittsburgh.

Carrington just became the first Pitt played selected in the NBA Draft since Lamar Patterson was selected 48th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in 2014. The talented guard also now becomes the first player out of Pitt selected in the first round since Steven Adams went No. 12 overall in 2013.

The 6-4 guard out of Baltimore played one season with the Panthers and put together one of the finest campaigns by a freshman in school history. Carrington averaged 13.8 points per game, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists and shot 32.2% from 3-point range.

He introduced himself to the basketball world in his very first collegiate game. Carrington dropped 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in his Pitt debut in a win over North Carolina A&T. From that moment on, Carrington was on everyone’s draft boards. The Pitt guard went on to win ACC Rookie of the Week five times and was named to the league’s all-rookie team at the end of the season.

Carrington flashed loads of potential in his first season, but did hit some minor road blocks along the way, which was to be expected. As a recruit, he was ranked No. 94 nationally in the Rivals.com rankings, which typically is not in range for one-and-done status.

But perhaps his age proved to be a benefit.

Carrington snuck up on a lot of people as a freshman. He also does not turn 19 until next month and was of the youngest players in college basketball this past season, which also added to his draft stock. Given his age, many scouts believed he had some of the highest upside in the draft.

Late in his freshman season, Carrington caught fire in a big way. As Pitt was mounting a run to make the NCAA Tournament, the freshman was at his best during crunch time. Over his final six games in the 2023-24 campaign, Carrington averaged 18.8 points per game and shot a red-hot 47% from 3-point range. In his final game at Pitt, Carrington torched ACC regular season champion North Carolina for 24 points in the semifinal round of the conference tournament in front of a national television audience.

Following that game, Carrington initially stated he intended to return to Pitt, but after a few days of discussion, he held a press conference alongside Capel to announce his intentions. The Pitt head coach provided immediate support for the young guard.

“Bub had a terrific year and has put himself in position to be selected in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft,” Capel said in a release after Carrington declared. “We have been in constant communication with him and his family throughout and are in full support of the decision. Bub is a talented, young player with a bright future at the next level. Bub and his family will continue to be a part of our Pitt Basketball family and we look forward to supporting them and watching him compete in the NBA.”

In the aftermath of that decision, Carrington went through the draft process which included an invitation to the NBA Draft combine. The lanky guard showed off his shooting acumen in front of numerous scouts and his stock rose even higher.

Carrington will be the third Pitt player under Capel to get a taste of the NBA. Former forwards Justin Champagnie (Washington Wizards) and Mo Gueye (Toronto Raptors) spent time on active rosters a season ago. The only other established NBA player out of Pitt is Adams, who missed the 2023-24 campaign with an injury as a member of the Houston Rockets.

Carrington is now officially the 29th player to be selected in the NBA Draft in Pitt history and is now the ninth to be picked in the first round.