The San Antonio Spurs drafted Carter Bryant as a high-upside wing, but the young rookie has quickly exceeded any preseason expectations.
The San Antonio Spurs had two picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, and they landed Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant.
Harper was expected to be an immediate contributor with superstar potential, and so far has lived up to the hype. Bryant, meanwhile, was a very raw athlete who was not expected to have much of a role in his first season, instead taking a back seat and developing.
While he didn't play big minutes in his rookie season, he forced his way into a bigger role as the year went on. He finished the year averaging only 4.2 points, but posted 6.1 points on solid shooting numbers since February 1st. Add in his elite defense, and he's established a steady role and will get his fair share of playing time in the postseason.
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Carter Bryant Reflects on Rookie Season
During his freshman season at Arizona, Bryant came off the bench. It wasn't his subpar scoring or shooting that got him drafted in the lottery. It was his athletics and defense. His willfulness and eagerness to learn didn't hurt, either.
"I think the story of my whole life has been growth," he said after the last game of the regular season. "I think that's kind of like my superpower. I think just being able to grow in short spurts of time, being able to learn and comprehend what's going on around me. I'm going to mess up a lot, but I think I'm not embarrassed or afraid to mess up."
Bryant thinks that his ability to grow and brush off the inevitable mistakes will help him improve faster than other rookies who might see the court more than he does. He manages to avoid getting in his own head, carrying himself like a veteran, not a 20-year-old kid.
The Spurs have leaned into that mindset, and their young players have all flourished this season.
Super grateful for them, long with the coaching staff, they did a great job of just telling me to shoot the ball, telling me to be aggressive, trust my work," he added. "I mean, nobody expected me to play this year at all. A lot of people thought I would be in the G all year. So, I think for myself, I'm just super proud of myself, super proud of myself, and super thankful for my teammates for constantly pushing me."