Carter Bryant #11 of the San Antonio Spurs brings the ball up the court against the Atlanta Hawks in the first half of a 2026 NBA Summer League game at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 09, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Carter Bryant #11 of the San Antonio Spurs walks on the court during a break in the second half of a 2026 NBA Summer League game against the Atlanta Hawks at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 09, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
LAS VEGAS — Carter Bryant, the second-year Spurs forward with NBA All-Defense potential, arrived at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday with instructions from the coaching staff to focus on spreading his wings offensively.
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Bryant scored a team-high 19 points powered by an efficient shooting performance to lead the Spurs to a 70-49 thrashing of New York that left them 1-1 at the 2026 NBA Summer League after going 0-3 at the California Classic last week in San Francisco.
Bouncing back from a 12-point outing on an inefficient 4 of 13 from the field and 1 of 7 from 3-point range in a 93-66 loss to Atlanta on Thursday that he blamed on rust, Bryant hit 7 of 10 overall and 2 of 2 from deep against the Knicks.
“I think I showed flashes of what I’m capable of in the future, but just understanding there’s a lot of work I have to do to get to that point if I want to be one of the best players in the world,” said the 20-year-old Bryant, who the Spurs selected 14th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Bryant, who ran the offense much of the game, drilled several mid-range jumpers and also showed off his body control when he threw in a hook shot while falling to the court after getting fouled by second-year forward Mohamed Diawara.
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“I think I did a better job of it today in terms of just being under control, getting to the next play and trying not to (let) the last play affect me, just being a competitor, wanting to be a perfectionist,” said Bryant, who averaged 4.2 points while shooting 40.8% from the field and 33.5% from beyond the arc in 11.5 minutes over 71 games last season.
Second-round rookie guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie also had a strong showing with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists against just one turnover.
Summer Spurs coach Corliss Williamson said Bryant had a better feel for things overall after playing in only his second game since the Spurs’ five-game loss to New York in the NBA Finals. The Arizona alumnus wasn’t with the team in California.
“He did a better job getting downhill, being a leader out there, waiting for the right shots to take,” Williamson said. “I was definitely happy with the way he played.”
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Williamson said the Spurs have confidence in Bryant’s shooting ability.
“We do expect his (offensive) game to open up more,” Williamson said. “He made some shots for us this past season. One area we would like to see him get better at is finishing when he’s getting to the basket downhill. But his main calling card is going to be on defense for us.”
Indeed, Bryant’s outing included a pair of chase-down blocks that showed off his athleticism.
“He definitely had two good blocks for us and set the tone for us defensively by picking them up full court,” Williamson said.
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Williamson indicated Bryant likely won’t play in the remaining games in Vegas. The Spurs were scheduled to play Milwaukee on Sunday.
“We’re talking about it,” Williamson said. “We started off saying he’s going to play two games, so he’s played two. Second game was a lot better and we saw what we needed to see.”
Bryant said he will spend the rest of the offseason focusing on improving his ball-handling skills and his conditioning after experiencing the taxing grind of a long playoff run.
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“I have to be in the best shape in the world, there’s no question,” he said. “I think my main goal this year is just be in the best shape out of anybody in the NBA, understanding I have to be able to guard multiple guys, multiple positions, no matter the strength, size, whatever the case may be. The biggest thing is just being in shape.”