Even with Mitch Johnson now running the bench, Gregg Popovich still looms large around the Spurs. The longtime coach and current team president remains a regular presence at practices and day-to-day work, and that influence is still reaching the team’s youngest players.
Carter Bryant, coming off his first NBA season, says he’s one of the guys who has felt it most. The incoming second-year player has had plenty of mentors around him, but he made it clear that Popovich stands out from the rest.
“Coach Pop crazy. I love it because he’s a maniac.
Like it’s so much fun because myself, my dad coached, my uncle coached in the league a little bit... Just being around the game and understanding it, like I would sit there with Coach Pop for like an hour and a half after practice and we would just talk about the most random things,” Bryant said on The Road Trippin' Show about his relationship with Popovich.
He added, “Like he was just telling me stories about stuff with Kawhi or when he was coaching Bruce Bowen, or he’s coaching certain guys that ended up being hell of players.”
Bryant’s comments fit with the way Popovich has continued to shape the Spurs even after stepping away as head coach. San Antonio had a surprising 2025-26 season, and the veteran coach’s presence at the training facility has clearly left an imprint on the roster. Young players such as Bryant, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Victor Wembanyama are all getting the benefit of those lessons.
In Other News...
Spurs Draft Gamble Around Wembanyama Is Already Raising Red Flags
The Spurs went big in the 2026 NBA Draft, using two late first-round picks on a pair of frontcourt prospects as they continue building around Victor Wembanyama. It was an approach that immediately invited comparisons to their 2022 haul, when two bigs were taken in the 20s before both were eventually traded three years later, a reminder that even promising draft bets can become movable pieces if they do not carve out clear roles.
Jayden Quaintance brings obvious intrigue, but his injury history and limited offensive profile are hard to ignore, while Tarris Reed Jr. will need to prove he can hold up defensively if he wants to stick in San Antonios rotation. Late first-rounders do not often develop into long-term NBA fixtures, which is why the Spurs willingness to double down on that part of the board already feels like a gamble, even if the organization can point to the occasional exception. [Read more 🡒]
Popovichs Brutal Rookie Lesson Still Says Everything About Spurs Culture
Carter Bryants rookie year already offered a reminder of what life in San Antonio can be like under Gregg Popovich: direct, unsparing, and aimed at making a young player better fast. Speaking on The Road Trippin' Podcast, Bryant described Popovich giving him blunt feedback about his game and challenging him to dig deeper into the leagues history for lessons he could use, a pretty classic Spurs development moment for a player still finding his footing.
What stands out is that the message didnt feel like a one-off from a fading voice on the sideline. Popovich stepped down as head coach after the 2024-25 season because of health reasons, with Mitch Johnson taking over, but he stayed with the organization as president of basketball operations and remained around the team during its 2026 NBA Finals run. For Bryant, the lesson was bigger than one jab step or one conversation, and it fit the same Spurs standard that has long valued honesty, accountability and star-level work habits. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Get An Early Chance To Make A Statement Vs Thunder
Opening night hands San Antonio an early measuring stick, and it comes against the same Oklahoma City group that ended the Western Conference Finals rematch with all the built-in edge that brings. The Thunder are back with some roster changes, but the Spurs still get the kind of test that quickly shows whether their new season plans can hold up under pressure.
For San Antonio, the intrigue starts with how it can tilt the game in the margins, especially when the rotations get deeper and the matchup shifts to the second units. The other big question is how the Spurs handle the Thunders defensive anchor and whether their approach against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can keep the game from turning into a night of constant help and recovery. [Read more 🡒]