Carter-Williams feeling at home in Philly

Michael Carter-Williams, the Sixers' first-round pick in Thursday's NBA draft, hails from Massachusetts and played his high school ball in Rhode Island, but he feels like Philadelphia is already his new home.

"I feel welcomed already, Philadelphia is a great place," Carter-Williams said Friday afternoon during a news conference at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

"It's not too far from my home and I have a lot of good friends here, from Scoop [Jardine] to Dion [Waiters] and even Ramon Galloway; we worked out before the draft, it feels like home already."

Carter-Williams finished his sophomore season for the Orange averaging 11.8 points and 7.3 assists per game. He was named the Big East's most-improved player, sharing the award with Providence's Kadeem Batts.

The 6-foot-6 point guard, who was the No. 11 overall selection, admitted that he enjoys Philly because of the social ties he has developed and the friends he has already made in the city. He keeps a close connection to former Orange guards and local prospects Jardine and Waiters.

Carter-Williams said he didn't speak to them as much because of the hectic atmosphere that came with the draft process.

"They said congrats," he said. "I didn't get to talk to them much, but before, I talked with Dion a lot and he told me different things about the game.

"He said that it's a lot faster and how you have to learn a lot of new things, he's trying to give me a head start in the game."

Carter-Williams played behind Waiters and Jardine during his freshman season with the Orange, which limited his playing time. He saw an increase in his minutes following their departure and subsequently saw his star rise in his sophomore season. He led the Orange to a 30-10 record and the Final Four.

Carter-Williams said that at Syracuse, he learned how to become a leader.

"How to better myself, how to talk to my teammates and how to lead a team," Carter-Williams said. "Scoop did a great job with teaching me that, he's been there for five years and he's been through a lot. He taught me a lot in just one year."