Carter Bryant flashed the potential scoring leap the Spurs' second unit needs

Carter Bryant was impressive during his preseason debut, showcasing an expanded scoring arsenal while playing with confidence and aggression. If Dylan Harper ends up cementing his spot in the San Antonio Spurs' starting lineup, this new-and-improved version of Bryant would be the perfect offensive spark plug off the bench.

All summer long, Spurs fans anticipated Bryant's second-year leap. Sure, his rookie season was filled with some amazing flashes on both sides of the floor, but if this team wants to improve from last season, they need him to make massive strides.

Well, he's already getting off on the right foot. He scored 11 points in 23 minutes of play against the Atlanta Hawks, showing a lot of comfort in firing up shots off the catch and creating for himself off the dribble. This is what the Spurs need from him consistently to maintain a strong bench attack.

Carter Bryant showed off a complete scoring arsenal

We saw a little bit of everything from Bryant as a scorer last night. He drained two of his five three-point attempts, with both of those makes coming off the catch. His release looked clean and confident, proving that his hesitancy to shoot the ball could very well be a thing of the past.

He also displayed the ability to create offense for himself, draining a contested mid-range pull-up jumper late in the first quarter. There were even a few plays where he advanced the ball in transition, attacked the paint, and drew contact from defenders to get to the free-throw line.

The prospect of Bryant becoming a three-level scorer is quite intriguing. Continuing to play with that balanced offensive approach while being a staunch defender won't just make him one of the most solid bench performers for this team, but in the entire league. There's nothing scarier than a 6'6" athletic forward who can impact the game on both ends like this.

Call it a preseason overreaction if you want, but this stage can reveal just how much a player worked on his game during the summer. If this can be a consistent thing from Bryant, it'll do wonders for a Spurs team that needs leaders for its second unit if Harper becomes a full-time starter.

Bryant still has some things to clean up and that's okay

While Bryant was impressive against the Hawks, he was far from perfect. The second-year forward turned the ball over four times, so he still has some work to do when it comes to his decision-making.

But this is the time to make mistakes. This early part of the season is about him taking advantage of his reps by cleaning up those sorts of things, which will only make him a better player over the next few months.

That's why his aggression on offense is important. He should be assertive and learn from those errors rather than playing hesitantly. That's the only way for him to become the two-way force that the Spurs need him to be.

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