The Sacramento Kings have recalled top prospect Devin Carter after a single game in the G League with the Stockton Kings. 

Despite his strong performance against the Austin Spurs, the Kings will need to be cautious with Carter when he makes his NBA debut, likely against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night. There were multiple instances throughout the night where Carter had to ask for a substitution due to fatigue, and he was much less noticeable in the fourth quarter, which he also attributed to his lack of conditioning. 

Even though he was getting tired much quicker than he’d prefer, Carter still had a phenomenal game. He went 6-9 from three-point range and finished with 29 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. 

Regardless of how much time Carter spent training and doing cardio while sidelined due to his shoulder injury, any athlete will tell you that being in shape and in game shape are very different things. 

Interim head coach Doug Christie will certainly enjoy having Carter as an option, considering he seemed ready to be an impact player at the NBA level however, it’s important not to rush him, nor look too much into his debut if he struggles. Carter said after the game, he felt he was “close to 100%” but it’ll likely be a few weeks before we see him truly start to show what he can do. 

Adapting to the lifestyle of an NBA player is difficult, there’s a significant boost in travel and responsibilities from the collegiate level, but it’s even harder as a high-profile prospect with pressure to perform right away. Add in an injury that kept him away from competitive 5-on-5 basketball for nine months, and it’s going to undoubtedly be a turbulent couple of weeks for Carter. His father, Anthony, spent 13 years in the Association, so Devin does have an advantage over most in that regard. With that being said, knowing what to expect doesn’t always make it easier. 

When an organization is struggling as much as the Sacramento Kings, it’s easy to want a fix-all solution and a player returning from injury can sometimes be that. In this case, though, it would be wise to put as little pressure as possible on Carter and allow him to adapt to the professional game before throwing high expectations on him.