The Spurs may have a short-term opening on the wing, and Carter Bryant’s path to cashing in on it starts with something simple: trust.
With Tobias Harris sidelined by a left calf strain, San Antonio could need Bryant to help fill the minutes early in the regular season. He won’t replace Harris’ offense piece for piece, but the Spurs don’t need him to. What they do need is a second-year forward who plays fast, sees the floor clearly, and doesn’t hesitate when the ball comes his way.
That matters because the Spurs already know what Bryant can do on defense. He showed plenty of that in his rookie season, locking in on the perimeter, bothering ball-handlers, and even sliding into small-ball center duty to protect the paint. The defensive part of his game isn’t the question.
The real issue is what happens when he gets the ball.
Bryant had offensive moments last season, but he also showed the kind of hesitation that often comes with being a rookie. There were times he seemed to think twice before shooting, driving, or making a play, and that caution is exactly what the Spurs can’t afford now. With Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle drawing attention, San Antonio needs the forwards around them to move with purpose and punish the openings that show up.
For Bryant, that means being ready the instant the ball swings his way. If the shot is there, let it fly.
If the lane opens, cut. If the closeout comes hard, put it on the floor and attack.
He doesn’t need to become Harris as a shot creator. He just needs to be a reliable off-ball scorer who makes quick decisions and keeps the offense moving.
That approach could do more than patch over Harris’ absence. It could lock Bryant into a rotation spot even after everyone is healthy again. The Spurs have enough talent to survive without Harris for a stretch, but extra minutes now give Bryant a chance to establish habits that stick.
And that’s the point of this early-season window. A confident, decisive Bryant doesn’t just help himself. He gives the Spurs another useful weapon, one that makes the whole group harder to guard as the season goes on.
In Other News...
JJ Redick Just Gave The Spurs A Contender Reality Check
The Spurs have spent the early part of the season getting folded into the leagues bigger contender conversation, a sign of how quickly the expectations have climbed around San Antonio. With Victor Wembanyama front and center and Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell also part of the broader push, the Spurs are no longer being treated like a team simply building for later. They are being discussed in the same breath as clubs trying to turn talent into something much more immediate.
JJ Redick, though, is making it clear the Lakers are not spending much time worrying about that outside chatter. Los Angeles is focused on its own path, with roster upgrades built around Luka Doncic on offense and Walker Kessler added to help with rebounding and defense. For San Antonio, the bigger takeaway is not what Redick said about the Spurs directly, but how quickly their name now comes up in the same title hopeful discussions as Oklahoma City and New York. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Still Have One Rival They Havent Caught Yet
For a franchise that has spent decades collecting series wins and long-term advantages, the Lakers remain the one regular-season opponent San Antonio still has not fully overtaken. The Spurs history with Los Angeles has included plenty of memorable victories along the way, but the ledger still tilts slightly the other way, a reminder of how often these two teams have crossed paths in meaningful stretches.
This season offers San Antonio another chance to chip away at that gap, with three meetings left on the schedule against a Lakers roster that looks different than the one fans have grown used to seeing. The path is simple but demanding: the Spurs would need to take every one of those games to move ahead in the all-time series, which gives the remaining matchups a little extra weight beyond the usual Western Conference calendar dates. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs May Already Have A De'Aaron Fox Problem To Solve
The Spurs already have a roster-building question hanging over De'Aaron Fox, even if it is not the kind they expected when they acquired him. In a couple of seasons, the league's next expansion draft could give San Antonio a rare chance to sort through its protected list, and Fox's place on it may not be as secure as his name recognition suggests. The organization is leaning toward a younger core, which makes a veteran guard on an expensive deal look more like a luxury than a foundational piece.
Fox's value in San Antonio will depend heavily on what happens between now and then, because there is still time for his play to change the conversation. If his performance and trade value rise, the Spurs gain more flexibility in how they handle the contract. If not, the team could face an awkward decision about one of its priciest players at a time when the rest of the roster is pushing in a younger direction. [Read more 🡒]