Dave Reardon: Ex-UH star Carter enjoys his role as Heat assistant

Who needs the draft? Anthony Carter didn’t.

And neither did the Miami Heat for most of its players that are headed to the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets.

Carter, the former University of Hawaii star, played 13 years in the NBA — nine of them with either the Heat or the Nuggets — despite going undrafted in 1998.

Now, as assistant coach and director of player development, he helps the Heat get the most out of the previously unwanted.

And no one does that better than Miami.

The NBA Draft is just two rounds. Around 20% to 25% of players who make it to the league get there some other way.

About 40% of the Heat’s points this season came from non-draftees — and their postseason contributions have been even bigger, with injuries sidelining Victor Oladipo and Tyler Herro.

More than half of Miami’s 17-man roster went undrafted; the Heat’s nine is the most in the NBA. Out of those, Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Duncan Robinson, Udonis Haslem, Haywood Highsmith and Omer Yurtseven are all on the regular roster.

Martin, Vincent and Strus started Monday in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, in which the Heat beat the Celtics 103-84 to finally close out the series after winning the first three games.

Carter is quietly a big part of it. He knows what the non-draftees go through first-hand, just to get a chance.

And he’s the same humble guy Hawaii fans remember who spreads plaudits around like he did passes to open teammates, or $100,000 to UH to help with scholarships.

“I don’t take credit for nothing,” said Carter, in a 2022 NBA.com article. “Only thing I do is I come in and rebound. I tell them, ‘Y’all put in the work. I just rebound and pass and tell y’all what to do. Y’all put in the work and keep me young.’ I don’t look for credit. I like to stay behind the scenes.”

He began his playing career as a free agent with the Heat in 1999. Even though he averaged just 22.2 minutes per game for four seasons, he ranks 12th all-time in franchise history with 1,063 career assists.

And how could anyone who saw it forget his floater over the backboard that gave Miami a one-point win over the Knicks in the 2000 playoffs?

The Nuggets are the team Carter is associated with second-most of the six he played for. He was with Denver for at least a part of five seasons, including 2007-08, when he posted career highs in starts, minutes, points, rebounds and assists.

Carter, 47, started coaching with the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League in 2013, a year after his playing career ended.

After he spent a year as a Sacramento Kings assistant, the Heat hired him in 2016 to coach their D-League team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

“I’ve been through the same things they’ve been through as far as playing in the CBA, getting called-up, not getting a call up and being frustrated,” Carter said. “I think by me being through that I can help them stay focused.”

Carter has been on the Miami “varsity” staff since 2018, part of a long line of former Heat players to return as assistant coaches under head coach Erik Spoelstra — and that’s not counting Haslem, 42, who is basically a player-coach with 20 seasons on the roster.

“They bring something that’s very necessary — they’ve been in that locker room,” Spoelstra said in the NBA.com article. “AC really was one of my first guys when I was an assistant coach that I worked with. Unfortunately, then, I don’t think I had the skill set to really help. But we were able to spend a lot of time as an assistant and as a player. We’ve always kept a little bit in touch. He’s a fabric guy.”

Strus and Carter enjoy a special bond.

“I’ve never seen him mad or not smiling,” Strus said. “He keeps it real light with me and always reminds me to have fun, that I’ve been doing this for years and to keep my head up. That I’m here for a reason. Every day is fun with him.”

Carter lives a five-minute drive from work.

“That’s why I moved closer to the arena, so guys like him when they want to come,” Carter said. “I leave everything that I got going on outside. Soon as I step in these doors, it’s my job to make these guys have fun. I crack jokes with everybody, I give everybody energy. I’m positive. Especially when I go on the court. If I have a bad attitude, it’s going to make the workout bad or the atmosphere bad. Guys know I come in with a joyful attitude every day. I’ve never had a bad day.”