Carter Bryant has mostly been limited to garbage time since being drafted 14th overall for the San Antonio Spurs, although the rookie is a part of their plans for the future.
The San Antonio Spurs lucked out in the 2025 NBA Draft, landing two lottery picks. With their own, they selected Dylan Harper second overall as an instant-impact player with superstar upside. Harper has emerged as a viable Sixth Man of the Year candidate and is expected to be the Spurs' lead guard of the future.
From the Atlanta Hawks, 14th overall, the Spurs added Arizona wing Carter Bryant. Much more raw than Harper, he has been limited to garbage time minutes only, although the Spurs believe he will be a long-term piece moving forward, even if he needs to flash a lot of improvement.
"He's been phenomenal," gushed Mitch Johnson. "His energy, his activity, you cannot replicate real on-the-job training, in-game minutes in the NBA, and I couldn't be happier with what he's done the last couple of games."
Bryant is a strong, athletic wing who already has elite defensive tools. His offensive game needs a lot of work, although his upside is apparent even in limited action.
He can get to the rim and above it, and projects to be a reliable catch-and-shoot threat, although not much of a playmaker. No matter, as with De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Harper, the Spurs have ample facilitators already on the roster.
He is a heady player who can move without the ball in his hand, although much like Bruce Bowen or Tony Allen, he isn't looking to score. If he gets an easy look, great. If not, he'll be the first man back on defense.
At worst, he is expected to be a quality 3-and-D player off the bench, which is exactly what the Spurs need. At best, he should be a replacement for Harrison Barnes down the line, with much better defensive tools.
Bryant is still a ways away from being an NBA impact player, but the Spurs knew he was raw when they drafted him. There's an expectation in practice that he will make the most of the run he gets, but in actual game-time situations, he will spend most of the time at the end of the bench.
In years past, the Spurs would have thrown him into the fire as they did with Jeremy Sochan, although now that they have a winning roster, his development has been placed on the back burner as stars rack up both minutes and wins. Much like injured rookies Thomas Sorber, Nikola Topic, and even Joel Embiid, however, he is expected to burst onto the scene after he puts in work behind closed doors.
This season, don't expect him to get enough minutes to make a splash, but be aware that the Spurs have big plans for their overlooked lottery pick.