Carter Bryant may not be near the top of the Spurs’ depth chart on paper, but he still has a clear opening to matter this season.
The second-year forward spent most of last season at small forward and power forward, though that split could shift. Tobias Harris’ arrival is expected to take up a sizable chunk of the minutes at the 4, which would push Bryant more firmly to small forward. That leaves him behind two established Spurs veterans, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson.
That’s a tough climb, especially if Bryant is trying to win minutes off either of them. Even so, Johnson looks like the more realistic target in that battle, and Bryant may well pass him in the rotation next season.
San Antonio’s interest in Bryant goes beyond just filling out the wing rotation. The Spurs were already strong defensively last season, but they could still use another elite wing stopper. If Bryant develops the way the team is hoping, that need could get answered quickly.
That kind of growth would be a major payoff for the Spurs, particularly if it arrives in time for the playoffs next season. A defensive group featuring Stephon Castle, Victor Wembanyama, and Bryant would give San Antonio a serious look on that end of the floor.
It would also give the Spurs two elite wing defenders in Castle and Bryant to throw at some of the league’s toughest perimeter scorers. That group would include Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jalen Brunson, all of whom San Antonio saw in the playoffs last season.
The Spurs seem to be setting Bryant up with a challenge rather than a shortcut. He’s third on the depth chart, but he should still get some minutes each game, and that gives him a real chance to show he belongs in a bigger role.
The expectation is that Bryant can keep building. Barring a step backward from last season, he could move ahead of Johnson by the trade deadline. Johnson still has value, especially during the regular season, but he is in the final year of his contract, and the Spurs have not extended him.
That contract situation only adds to San Antonio’s incentive to keep Bryant growing into a larger role. In the end, though, it comes down to Bryant proving it on the floor.
The opportunity is there. Now he has to seize it.
In Other News...
Spurs Rookie Could Force A Tough Change Behind Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama is set atop the Spurs frontcourt hierarchy, but the real intrigue may come behind him, where the battle for backup center minutes is already taking shape. Rookie Tarris Reed Jr. has entered the mix alongside veteran Luke Kornet, and San Antonio has reason to view the competition as a healthy one, especially with the roster looking deeper and more functional in the paint than it has in recent seasons.
Reed brings the kind of size and physical presence that can change the tone of a second unit on both ends of the floor, and that gives this race a little more weight than a routine camp fight for minutes. Kornet still has experience on his side, but the Spurs could be forced into a tougher decision if Reeds impact shows up quickly, because the frontcourt rotation may be one of the more important places for San Antonio to gain an edge this season. [Read more 🡒]
Keldon Johnson Faces A Spurs Role Shift That Could Define Camp
Keldon Johnson heads into Spurs training camp with a different kind of responsibility hanging over him. After years of being asked to do plenty with the ball, his place in the rotation is set to look more streamlined as San Antonio sorts through roster changes and tries to clarify where everyone fits. Even after a rough postseason stretch, Johnson is still in the mix, and the larger question is how his game meshes with a group that is trying to sharpen its identity.
For Johnson, the shift points toward a more specialized role than the one he has carried before, one built less around creation and more around doing the dirty work that helps the lineup function. How well that translates alongside the teams newer pieces and the players pushing for bigger on-ball opportunities will be one of camps more interesting storylines, because the Spurs are clearly treating this as more than a minor tweak. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Are Becoming A Matchup Nightmare Defenses Can't Solve
The Spurs are starting to look like the kind of team defenses have to solve in layers, and that is a problem when Victor Wembanyama is already forcing one set of adjustments. Add De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle, two guards with very different ways of putting pressure on the floor, and San Antonio suddenly has multiple ways to tilt a possession before the defense even gets settled.
What makes the group even trickier is how the supporting cast fits around those headliners. Dylan Harper gives the Spurs another downhill presence to keep the offense moving, while Tobias Harris adds a veteran option who can fit into different matchups and make opponents choose their compromises carefully. For teams trying to game-plan a night in San Antonio, the challenge is not just stopping one star, but figuring out which version of the Spurs is coming at them next. [Read more 🡒]