Carter Bryant’s Summer League stint is over, and the Spurs are leaving Las Vegas with a clearer idea of how they want to use him next season.
Bryant, last year’s 14th overall pick, played in two games and averaged 15.5 points and two rebounds before San Antonio shut him down for the rest of the summer. He isn’t injured; the team simply felt it had seen enough. After a rookie season in which he was deployed sparingly as a defensive specialist, the Spurs now appear ready to stretch his game in a bigger way.
That was the point of putting the ball in his hands during Summer League. San Antonio already has plenty of creators in Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle, and De’Aaron Fox, but Bryant has long been viewed as a different kind of piece - a point-forward type who can impact both ends of the floor. The Spurs wanted to see how he handled more on-ball responsibility, even if the setting was loose and the results didn’t carry the weight of the regular season.
Bryant said the experience gave him a better sense of what still needs work and what he can eventually become.
"I think the biggest thing is it always shows you what you need to work on and how much you can expand your game," said Bryant of Summer League. "I think I showed what I'm capable of in the future.
But just understand there's a lot of work I have to do to get to that point and be one of the best players in the world. This was all just a learning experience coming out to play.
So I'm hoping to continue to do that."
There’s also a path to a larger role next year if the Spurs move Keldon Johnson. For that to happen, the staff needs confidence that Bryant can handle more than spot-up duty and defense. The ball has to be in his hands, and it has to stay there cleanly.
Bryant said the biggest step is tightening up his dribble.
"I think my handle has to get a lot better," he summed up. "I think I'm seeing the game.
I'm seeing the game super clearly. But I think my handle gets tighter and I've got to do a better job just pounding the ball.
Just being tighter with my handle, like I said. But the reads, I don't really see any problems with the reads.
I'm seeing the game develop fairly fast. But just understanding when my handle develops and how I'm going to stay doing that."
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