ATHENS, Ohio -- Central Ohio is flooded with basketball talent and depth. This area has produced productive collegiate players like Nick Ward, Kaleb Wesson, and Javon Bess. We also have a strong incoming crop of collegiate success in the future with freshman like Jelani Simmons, Taevion Kinsey, Nick Muszynski and Jerome Hunter.

Out of the 39 Division I college players from the area, Johnstown’s Jason Carter leads all of them in scoring averaging 16.3 points per game as a redshirt sophomore at Ohio University. Even though he has been wildly productive at such a young stage in his career, the former two-time Division II all-state selection still has a significant amount of potential.

Accumulating this potential will allow him to become one of the most dominant player in the Mid-American Conference. In this week's edition of College Film Room, I will be breaking down how Carter is so productive and what skills he can continue to improve on in order to realize his full potential. 

Carter stands at 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, and has incredibly broad shoulders. His size alone is enough to play the five for a mid-major program. However, his coordination and wing like movement ability allow him to play the four for the Bobcats. The Johnstown forward’s scoring success is predicated on just how well he creates mismatches for opposing low or mid-major teams as a four man.

He possesses an inside out game where he can either score working on the perimeter or down low mainly depending on who guards him. His perimeter game starts with the threat of his jump shot. Shooting 35 percent from outside this season, Carter is relied upon heavily to aide in floor spacing for a team that should be desperate for high-level shooters that are not complete defensive liabilities.

Outside of just being a standstill spot up shooter, he is also able to create open shot three point looks from improvising his own off ball movement and working off set offensive actions.

In the first clip, he fades into the open spot on the strong side of the floor after the weak side pass that shifts the defense off of the ball screen. In the second, you can see Carter knocking down a shot coming off a back screen on some screen the screener action. 

While the shooting stroke is far from elite, it is respectable enough to force close outs and for defenders to not sag off on the redshirt sophomore. This expands his offensive game on the perimeter and thanks to his handling coordination, Carter can successfully attack off the dribble. He is far from a dynamic handler and will not blow by defenders with shifty change of direction or pace moves.

Instead the forward utilizes his deceptively quick first step along with long stride lengths on his drives that permit him to get to the rim quicker than his speed indicates.

Here he draws just enough attention from the Toledo defender to attack off the dribble showing off the first step at his size and finishing at the rim. Then you can see him apply the long stride lengths going to the hoop that allow him to get to the rim significantly faster on drives despite a lack of top speed. 

The previous two clips show Carter being guarded by both a wing and a forward/big. This poses a significant question for opposing teams, how do you defend Ohio’s leading scorer?

Well truthfully some mid-major programs are not equipped with the assets to guard the former Johnstown standout. Some teams may have a big that mirrors him in size, but likely does not have the foot speed to contain him off the dribble or chase him off screens.

So what happens if opposing teams elect to match him up with a quicker wing or larger guard? This is difficult as well since Carter has a well developed post game. He is the owner of a deadly up and under move and a beautiful jump hook that is nearly impossible to block.

Carter takes advantage of this mismatch here against a smaller guard. In this clip, Carter recognizes his mismatch and sprints into the low post easily sealing the Marshall guard off and converting around the rim. He has also shown success scoring in the low post against players of his size, this is where his up and under move is successful and he can take advantage of his phenomenal footwork and speed advantage. His unique talent to work and score from both beyond the three point line, off the dribble, or in the low post aide his productivity as a scorer because of all the problems a combination like that creates for his low and mid major opponents. 

For a player of his stature, Carter really struggles to finish at and around the rim. He is currently finishing his non post attempts around the rim at 53.3 percent per Synergy. To put that number into perspective, with a 30 possession minimum, that is 35th out of 49 in the MAC and is behind plenty of guards in the conference on that list. This type of inefficiency for a player who likes to attack the rim off the dribble is a problem. 

However, it is a potentially correctable issue and once it is resolved, you could see his scoring efficiency skyrocket. What should make you so sure to assume that he will continue to improve as a finisher is the array of moves he has at and around the basket that present him with the talent to create separation while driving to the rim. This is a trait that all elite finishers pass down to each other at any high level of basketball. Whether it is a series euro steps, hop steps, spin moves, or body control, great finishes off the dribble can create better looks for themselves at the rim.

This is something you can see from the redshirt sophomore in flashes, like on this possession against Marshall as he drives on the smaller guard, but is cut off, thanks to the spin move though, he creates an opportunity for himself as a driver and finishes while being fouled.

Another way he could grow as a player would be as a passer when he is working on the perimeter. As a floor spacer that can attack closeouts off the dribble, one of the steps to maximize your offensive potential is passing growth when attacking.

This growth entails having a feel for the weak side of the floor off the dribble along with performing decisive and simple dump offs. This possession against Marshall is wildly encouraging because it gives you a view for what the future has in store for Carter.

He shows off his improvised off ball movement relocating to the open spot on the court off a double team, then shows off his handling coordination off the dribble, makes a cross court pass to the weak side of the floor, only to relocate again, get the ball back, split the defenders with a hop-step, and flashes another weapon in his finishing arsenal.

Unfortunately, the possession did not result in any points. However, all of the marketable elements of his current productive and future halfcourt are working together here. Even though that cross court pass did not result in an assist, it created a driving lane for himself once he received the ball back. This is a perfect model of how you add value off the ball offensively. 

The Johnnie has been a standout defending off the ball this season. His off ball and team defensive instincts were on display against Marshall. While he is still developing a feel for the weak side of the floor on the offensive end, Carter did a fantastic job in this game of reading and reacting as a weak side help defender. Here he forces a turnover by breaking up a lob attempt on a ball screen possession late in the shot clock.

His tremendous defensive instincts also translated to another turnover but this time, defending the screener on a ball screen. This ball screen is run in Marshall’s early offensive action to get their leading scorer Jon Elmore some space to obtain a quality scoring look. Carter shows a hedge and the screener slips however, the wing like movement skills of the former Johnstown star come into play again which allows him to recover and snatch the ball out of mid air.

Yet again, I came away extremely impressed with another College Film Room player. Carter may have been the best overall two-way player that we have covered so far. His mismatch value offensively as a four man that can score both inside and out makes him a hard player to contain.

Even though he is splendidly productive as a redshirt sophomore, I still think he has a lot more room for improvement. On top of improved finishing and passing ability, I would like to see Carter start utilizing a one to two dribble pull up at some point in his career. On top of improved conditioning that could allow him to be a factor in the transition game for the Bobcats even though that is really not their style. We look forward to watching his game continue to evolve at the collegiate level. 

Braden Norris (Fr. PG, Oakland)

Datrey Long (Fr. G, Urbana)

Picture Credit: Ohio University Men's Basketball (@OhioMBasketball)