Branden Carlson
 Carlson in 2024 | |
| No. 35 – Toronto Raptors | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 14, 1999 South Jordan, Utah, U.S. |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) |
| College | Utah (2019–2024) |
| NBA draft | 2024: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2024–present |
| Career history | |
| 2024–present | Toronto Raptors |
| 2024–present | →Raptors 905 |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Branden Carlson (born June 14, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Utah Utes of the Pac-12 Conference.
Early life and high school career
Carlson grew up in South Jordan, Utah and attended Bingham High School.[1] He committed to play college basketball at Utah over offers from UCLA, Stanford, BYU, UNLV, Utah State, UC Davis, Santa Clara, and Weber State.[2]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branden Carlson PF / C |
South Jordan, UT | Bingham | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Oct 23, 2016 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80
| ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 66 247Sports: 153 ESPN: N/A | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
After graduating from high school, Carlson served a two-year Latter-Day Saint mission in Manchester, England.[3] He enrolled at Utah before the start of the 2019–2020 season.[4] Carlson played in 30 games with 29 starts during his freshman season and averaged 7.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.[5] He averaged 9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks as a sophomore.[6] Carlson averaged 13.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks and was named second-team All-Pac-12 Conference as a junior.[7] He averaged 16.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game as a senior and was named first-team All-Pac-12.[8] Carlson considered entering the 2023 NBA draft, but ultimately decided to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played in the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and return to Utah for a fifth season.[9] In his final year, he averaged 17.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game,[10] and made the First-team All-Pac-12 for the second time. Carlson became the all-time blocks leader for Utah during a home loss to Arizona State,[11] eventually finishing the season with 241 blocks. In that year's NIT, Carlson averaged 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks over four tournament games, with Utah eventually falling in the semifinals to Indiana State.[12]
Professional career
Toronto Raptors (2024–present)
After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Carlson signed a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors on July 4, 2024, joining former Ute Jakob Pöltl.[10][13]
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Utah | 30 | 29 | 20.9 | .549 | .231 | .622 | 3.9 | .8 | .3 | 1.4 | 7.0 |
| 2020–21 | Utah | 25 | 21 | 23.4 | .551 | .500 | .609 | 4.6 | .7 | .2 | 1.7 | 9.4 |
| 2021–22 | Utah | 24 | 23 | 26.0 | .510 | .309 | .818 | 6.0 | 1.1 | .3 | 1.6 | 13.6 |
| 2022–23 | Utah | 31 | 31 | 29.1 | .495 | .331 | .774 | 7.5 | 1.5 | .3 | 2.0 | 16.3 |
| 2023–24 | Utah | 36 | 36 | 29.6 | .501 | .379 | .714 | 6.6 | 1.6 | .4 | 1.5 | 17.0 |
| Career | 146 | 140 | 26.1 | .513 | .354 | .728 | 5.8 | 1.2 | .3 | 1.7 | 12.9 | |
References
- ^ Urban, Andrea (February 18, 2020). "Former Bingham star settling into big man role for the Utes". Fox13now.com. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Goon, Kyle (October 24, 2016). "Utah basketball: Bingham big man Branden Carlson picks Runnin' Utes". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ "Utah basketball center Branden Carlson is shining, aided by summer with A
AU team". The Salt Lake Tribune. February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2023. - ^ "Utah center Branden Carlson got home only in late May, but he's the leader of a 'three-headed' position". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 25, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
- ^ "Utah basketball: Branden Carlson didn't let COVID-19 keep him down". Deseret News. February 16, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Drew, Jay (March 7, 2023). "Branden Carlson reflects on his Runnin' Utes career". Deseret News. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ Allen, Trevor (June 16, 2022). "Instant Replay: Utah Basketball Center Branden Carlson Throws Down Impressive Dunk". KSLSports.com. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ "Utah Runnin' Utes basketball standout Branden Carlson will return to school". The Salt Lake Tribune. May 31, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ "Branden Carlson is returning for the 2023–24 season". Deseret News. May 31, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
- ^ a b Judd, Brandon (June 28, 2024). "Branden Carlson joins Toronto Raptors on two-way contract". Deseret News. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ Bodkin, Michelle (February 10, 2024). "Branden Carlson Makes More History As A Runnin' Ute". KSL Sports. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ Judd, Brandon (April 4, 2024). "What Utah said about its run to the NIT semifinals". Deseret News. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ "RAPTORS SIGN CARLSON TO TWO-WAY CONTRACT". NBA.com. July 4, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.