Jaycee Carroll

Matt Williams

Around this time last year we identified Brad Oleson as a rising star in the ACB, and while Oleson has since left the shooter friendly atmosphere of Fuenlabrada to move to a bigger club (and paycheck) in Real Madrid and subsequently Tau Vitoria (now known as Caja Laboral), Jaycee Carroll appears to have succeeded him as the ACB’s most dangerous perimeter shooting threat, as evidenced by his recent 23 point outburtst against Real.

The former Utah State standout currently sits fourth in the extremely competitive ACB in points per game at 16.6 per-contest, while leading Gran Canaria to a 3-4 record. A threat to explode for a big game on any given night, Carroll is building a strong resume in one of the Europe’s strongest leagues, something NBA decision makers might need to take notice of.

Considering what Carroll accomplished last season as one of the top scorers in Serie A, this should come as no surprise. Finishing the season as the leading scorer for Banca Tercas Teramo, who ended last season in third place ahead of perennial powerhouses Benetton Treviso and Armani Jeans Milano before falling in the first round of the playoffs, Carroll emerged as a major offensive asset already in his rookie season. He spent last summer with the Hornets and their NBA Summer League entry, where he had a meager showing, shooting uncharacteristically poorly from the field in substantial playing time.

A gifted shooter who is lights out in catch and shoot situations who can make an impact running off of screens in half court sets and is not afraid to pull the trigger when he has space in transition, Carroll's jumper features a quick release and textbook form. Undersized for a shooting guard at 6’2 and lacking much in the way of point guard skills (he’s averaging nearly three times as many turnovers as assists), Carroll can score from essentially anywhere on the floor. Displaying a very quick first step and showing a knack for hitting shots off the bounce, Carroll’s jump shot is a constant threat. In addition to his shooting ability, Carroll displays some finishing ability, and does a good job picking and choosing his spots, but often struggles around the rim against NBA-level competition. Lacking the leaping and size to be a good finisher on the interior, Carroll’s athleticism is more conducive to playing a Rip Hamilton-esqe role, where he can use his quickness to create openings for his jump shot.

From an NBA perspective, Carroll’s lack of playmaking ability, below average size, skinny frame, and clear-cut defensive limitations certainly restrict the potential impact he could have against bigger and more athletic competition. However, his perimeter stroke, capacity for providing instant offense off the bench and impressive European resume could be attractive to any team looking for a Jannero Pargo or Daniel Gibson style shooting specialist. It’s extremely rare to see an American player producing in such impressive fashion right off the bat immediately upon arrival at this level of European competition, so there is certainly something to be said for that. Carroll’s physical profile may not project perfectly to the NBA, and at age 26 he isn’t as young as most second year pros, but at the rate he’s going, he’s destined to, at the very least, emerge as one of the more coveted American shooting guards in European basketball.

Sweet-shooting Jaycee Carroll showed that he can do a lot more than just make shots today, going off on a scoring barrage (19 points in 22 minutes) that had to impress anyone that stuck around for the third contest of the day. He took the ball to the basket aggressively time after time, finishing with an array of floaters and pull-up jumpers, and getting to the free throw line at will. We’re not talking about a guy that is going to stand out in a crowd as far as his looks (he’s a skinny 6-2 guy with underwhelming athleticism), but he surely knows how to score, which is probably why he was such a popular fixture on the private workout circuit in the month of June. Carroll played a lot of point guard—which is not his position as we all know by now—and did what he knows how to do best, which is look for his own shot. It was hard to fault him considering the way things looked out there at times. Defensively, he was not a presence at all, which is going to be a big concern for the NBA.

It was a tough week for Utah State’s Jaycee Carroll. The school’s all-time leading scorer and arguably the top shooter in the country never really got his shot to drop in any of his three games. In his final game Carroll scored 9 points on 4-13 shooting while going 0-3 from the perimeter. There is no questioning that the former Aggie is a tremendous shooter, but Carroll struggled to get his shot off against bigger and faster players than he saw during the regular season. Finishing just 1-9 on the week. Despite possessing decent ball-handling skills, he simply wasn’t quick enough to create a lot of good shot opportunities for himself at the rim and was forced to rely on difficult floaters and runners in the paint, which did not appear to be his forte. Even when he had open looks though, something just wasn’t clicking for him, as he often left his shots short.

Carroll spent the majority of his time running the point for his team, and while he didn’t do a poor job, he is clearly more used to playing off the ball. Utah State would run Carroll off a lot of screens to free him up for outside shots, and while that did happen on occasion for him at Portsmouth, he was forced to create his own shot more often than not. An extremely intelligent player with a very high skill level regardless of what we saw in this tournament, Carroll is still a superb shooter regardless of what the stats this week might indicate.

Jaycee Carroll is one of the most efficient players in the NCAA, regardless of position, and arguably the league’s best shooter. As the top option for the Utah State Aggies, Carroll has had the opportunity to showcase just about every single part of his offensive arsenal this season. However, his lack of size, athleticism, and the fact that he will be 25 years old by the time the draft rolls around definitely complicates the equation in terms of projecting him at the next level.

While Carroll is a perfect college player, his NBA potential is limited due to his lack of size, speed and athleticism. Standing only 6’2 and possessing a slight 175 pound frame, Carroll is not even athletically on the same level as former Duke standout J.J. Redick for example, which severely limits his potential be anything other than a jump-shooter at the next level. He also possesses below average lateral quickness, which makes it difficult to project how he will stack up defensively. However, what Carroll lacks in size and athleticism, he makes up for in conditioning and effort; his motor is rivaled by few in the college ranks.

On the offensive end of the floor, Carroll’s efficiency is rivaled by very few. Looking at the numbers, he is an elite offensive player. He is ranked 10th in the NCAA in scoring (22.0 ppg), 6th among NCAA shooting guards in field goal percentage (52.7%), 2nd in the NCAA in free throw percentage (91.8%) and 2nd in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage (51.8% on 6.4 attempts per game). His shooting efficiency statistics are even more impressive as he boasts the best true shooting percentage in the NCAA (0.69) and the 9th best effective field goal percentage (0.65).

Needless to say, his shooting mechanics support these numbers. He possesses a lightning quick release with almost perfect form and infinite range that allows him the opportunity to get his shot off against just about any defender in the college ranks. He is a smart shooter, too, often utilizing a pump fake or a side step in order to get space for himself. He utilizes screens better than any prospect we’ve seen this year, combining his high basketball IQ with his endless motor to give his defender fits while he uses his superior knowledge of offensive positioning to get open for set shots on the floor. He is constantly the focus of opposing defenses, and his poise is largely due to his incredible sense of spacing on the floor and the fact that he knows where to go to get the ball into his hands. While he is an incredible shooter, he can still improve the art of getting his shot. He must get more elevation on his jumpshot if he wants to get his shot off against taller, longer, and more athletic players at the next level. He must also get stronger, because when he is forced to take an off-balanced perimeter shot, his form weakens, as he is prone to pushing the ball in order to compensate for his lack of strength.

This is not to say that he is just a set-shooter. After all, based on a sample size of six games on Synergy, he only generates about 50% of his offense off of screens and set-shots. A major improvement that he has shown during the past season, however, has been consistent improvement and greater versatility on the offensive end. He is showing the beginnings of a solid mid-range game, looking more comfortable pulling up off of the dribble than he did last season. He must continue to work on consistency, but a mid-range game looks to be possible considering his basketball IQ and shooting ability.

However, if he wants to develop a good mid-range game for the next level, he must improve his ball-handling ability. According to Synergy, an overwhelming 87% of his dribble drives are right handed. Watching him play, he rarely uses his left hand at all when attempting to create shots, and it clearly is hindering his otherwise fluid offensive game. Developing his handle may be one of the determining factors in terms of his ability to play at the highest level. He is not turnover prone at the moment, averaging only 1.8 turnovers in almost 37 minutes per game, but considering his limited handle, it is easy to think that this inability will be exploited at the next level.

Another problem is how his defensive abilities will translate at the next level. In terms of the NBA, it is safe to say that there are very few players, if any, that Carroll will be able to guard. As mentioned earlier, his physical profile leaves much to be desired, and his lack of lateral quickness hurts him as well. That being said, however, he is a fundamentally sound defender, maintaining a good stance with his hands up most of the time. His effort is admirable, and as evidenced in his 6.2 rebounds per game. One thing that he should work to improve, however, is staying close to his man on the perimeter. He sometimes allows his man too much room and then is late closing out on the perimeter jumper or is beaten off of the dribble by his man.

In order to make an NBA roster, Carroll will have to land in an absolutely perfect situation: that is how difficult it will be for him to make a mark in the NBA. His lack of size, strength, and athleticism may be enough to prevent him from getting a chance. However, the intelligence he brings to the game, combined with his lights out shooting and developing offensive arsenal will surely translate into success overseas, if the NBA does not work out for him. Carroll is having an incredible season and one that will likely garner more media attention as the post-season inches closer. That being said, he will have plenty of opportunities to showcase his abilities and prove that he can play with bigger and more athletic players.