On Thursday, the Toronto Raptors signed free-agent forward DeMarre Carroll to a four-year contract, $60 million contract. After putting up career best in several categories, the former Tiger is ready to cash in and contribute. The Raptors saw the exact same thing Mizzou fans saw in Carroll’s time in Columbia.
“We are thrilled with not only the skills but the intangibles DeMarre will bring to our team,” said Raptors President and General Manager Masai Ujiri. “He is a hard-nosed player who plays with passion and commitment on both ends of the floor.”
In a story right here a few days ago, I shared how Carroll wrote an open letter to Atlanta fans thanking them, as well as the coaching staff for the Hawks. In particular, Carroll pointed to Quin Synder, the former Mizzou coach, as a big reason for his growth that took him from a reserve fighting for minutes to the player he is today.
As much of a breakout season Carroll had, he even improved on that in 16 games of the playoffs, putting up number not that far off from his senior year at Missouri. This past postseason, Carroll averaged 14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 34.9 minutes in 16 starts. He shot .403 (29-72) from three-point range. He scored 20-or-more points in seven contests, including a stretch of six consecutive games (April 25 – May 5). He recorded a career postseason high of 25 points (9-14 FG, 3-5 3FG, 4-5 FT) in Game 6 at Washington.
In 316 career regular season games (164 starts), Carroll has averaged 7.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 21.6 minutes. He has played with Memphis (2009-11), Houston (2010-11), Denver (2011-12), Utah (2011-13) and the Hawks (2013-15).
Carroll was drafted 27th overall by Memphis in the first-round of the 2009 NBA Draft. He split his college career between Vanderbilt and Missouri. He averaged 16.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 38 games during his senior season at Missouri.
