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Matt Carroll - 2007-08 Season in Review
By Malinda Murraybobcats.com
June 2, 2008
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Matt Carroll shot a franchise-best 43.6 percent from
three-point range in 2007-08.
three-point range in 2007-08.
The hard work paid off. After years of battling to make it in the NBA, Carroll entered the 2007-08 season with a new found sense of security. He knew exactly where he was going to be – in Charlotte as a member of the Bobcats.
Having just completed the best season of his NBA career, averaging 12.1 points while shooting 43.3 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from three-point range and 90.4 percent from the foul line in 2006-07, Carroll signed a long term contract over the summer that further entrenched him as an integral part of the Bobcats organization.
“It’s difficult for me to put into words how happy I am to return back to Charlotte,” Carroll said when he signed his new contract. “I wanted to stay with the Bobcats because this is the organization that gave me the opportunity to have success in the NBA.”
While the surroundings were familiar, the start of the 2007-08 season did require Carroll to make an adjustment in his role with the team. A starter for 47 games during the 2006-07 campaign, the 6-6 shooting guard became the team’s sixth man to start this season. After struggling through the first two games, Carroll began to regain his confidence and form, posting double-figures in five straight games including a 16-point performance in his hometown of Philadelphia and a 17-point outing on November 11 against the Houston Rockets.
“I’m getting adjusted to my new role,” said Carroll. “It’s a little bit different from last year, but I’ve come off the bench before. I’m just trying to be really aggressive. I think if I come out and be confident and aggressive, that’s the best way for me to get into a rhythm and start knocking some shots down.”
Carroll’s strategy paid off as he finished the first month of the season averaging 10.1 points and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 45.9 percent from the floor and 44.2 percent from three-point range.
What began as a promising start though soon turned into a roller coaster ride for Carroll. As the season progressed, his minutes began to fluctuate and so in turn did his production. Playing inconsistent minutes seemed to hinder the Notre Dame grad’s ability to get in any type of rhythm as he averaged just 6.6 points on 38.5 percent shooting from the field and 37.2 percent shooting from three-point range in December.
Even with all the challenges though, Carroll remained determined to look towards the future.
It’s very tough,” he said as the Bobcats won just one of eight games during a December 26 – January 6 stretch. “But you’re an NBA player. You’re a professional. The big key is that you have to have a short memory. You’ve got to forget about this and look to the next opportunity, to try and win that one. You’ve got to forget about the past, because it hasn’t been that good lately. We’ve got to move on.”
Move forward he did and in mid-January Carroll strung together a solid six-game streak in double figures. The stretch began on January 11 as he posted 18 points in a tightly contested 113-106 double-overtime loss to the Cavaliers on January 11. Two games later, he poured in 19 to help Charlotte seize a 119-116 win over the Denver Nuggets. Carroll’s point production helped the Bobcats pick up three games during that stretch.
Fast forward to February 27. The Bobcats were struggling to get things figured out. They had dropped 10 of their last 11 games. Carroll had averaged just 4.8 points during that stretch, missing two games, one a coach’s decision, the other due to right ankle tendinitis and his difficulties just seemed to be a microcosm of what was happening to the whole team. Everyone appeared slightly out of sync.
Charlotte was in New York taking on the Knicks. Already without Gerald Wallace, who was out with a concussion, the Bobcats lost Jason Richardson for the remainder of the game due to an eye injury. Carroll stepped up, scoring 19 points to pace the team and even though the Bobcats suffered a defeat, that effort by Carroll seemed to be the jump start he needed.
Two nights later in Boston he made his third start of the season, scoring 16 points in a tough loss to the Celtics.
Carroll remained in the starting lineup for the next nine games and proved instrumental in propelling the Bobcats on a franchise-best five-game winning streak. He averaged 17.2 points during the streak including an impressive 21-point performance where he went 5-of-6 from three-point range against Atlanta.
“I’m glad they didn’t (guard me closely on the three-point line),” he said following that game against the Hawks. “I got some good looks. My teammates were doing a good job finding me, especially Earl (Boykins) and Raymond (Felton). Jared (Dudley) had a great pass at the end of the third quarter. Othella (Harrington) told me to get in the middle and he was going to come screen me so that I could get a good shot. I did it and boom, I got a shot.”
He followed that stellar performance a night later with an even better outing, tallying a season-high 23 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the three-point line in a 100-97 victory over the Wizards on March 8.
“This is a feeling we haven't had in a long time,” Carroll remarked following the victory “I don't think most of us have had this feeling since college. It is a great feeling. We are playing extremely hard. I'm excited about how this team is playing. We are really playing together right now."
But it wasn’t just on the offensive side of the ball, that Carroll helped the Bobcats during the winning streak. He also grabbed a career-best 11 rebounds on March 5 in a win over Golden State.
These performances helped Carroll re-solidify his role with the team as he carried the momentum through the remainder of the season. In the final five games of the season, he averaged 15.4 points and shot 50 percent from the field to help the team win three of their last five games.
Carroll finished the season averaging 9.0 points on 42.8 percent shooting from the field, 43.6 shooting from three-point range and 80.4 percent shooting from the foul line. He showcased once again what a valuable asset he can be to this Bobcats team. His three-point shooting helps extend opponents defenses making it easier for the entire offense to operate.
He connects on three-point baskets with deadly accuracy and despite some of the ups and downs he faced this season, his aim from three-point range was still one of the best in the league. His 43.6 three-point field goal percentage this season is a franchise record and ranked him ninth in the league.
He also has a penchant for connecting on four-point plays. On March 26 at the STAPLES Center, he converted the seventh four-point play of his career and the 12th in franchise history en route to posting 18 points in Charlotte’s 108-95 victory over the Lakers.
Carroll showed that when given consistent minutes, he is a pretty reliable scorer for the team. In games where he played 25 minutes or more he averaged 13.2 points compared to the 5.9 points he averaged when playing less than 25 minutes per game.
Carroll played an important role as a member of this team, but the season probably did not go exactly as he would have hoped when he returned to Charlotte for the 2007-08 campaign. Faced with inconsistent minutes early on, he struggled to find his groove, averaging 7.9 points and shooting 37.9 percent from the three-point range through the first 34 games.
Carroll’s fantasy impact was much like his season – up and down. By season’s end though, he became a much more dependable player on your fantasy roster. He became especially valuable if you were looking for three-pointers. In the final 26 games of the season, he averaged 11.3 points and went 47-94 (.500) from behind the three-point arc.
This season, Carroll started 18 games for the Bobcats. In those 18 games, he averaged 12.1 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 43.1 percent from the field and a tremendous 51.6 percent from behind the three-point line. In games when he came off the bench, he averaged 8.1 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 42.7 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from behind the three-point arc.
“Things are in a nice groove right now,” Carroll remarked during the team’s five-game win streak. “We’re playing well together. Offensively, everybody is playing unselfishly and stepping up. I feel like everyone knows the rules right now. We’re very confident too. We’ve kind of got a swagger going right now.”
Bobcatsfan#1:
Carroll is a hard worker and a great asset to this team. He will be very instrumental in next years playoff run. It shows how confidence can grow, when the organization put faith in him he produced.
Ben Faw:
Excellent article and video, wish we could of seen more of his highlights though, and Matt keep up the good work knocking down the threes! And very nice suit choice, pin stripes I like it
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