Carter Bryant made an impossible decision easy for Mitch Johnson

After being picked 10th in the 2025 NBA Draft, San Antonio Spurs' Carter Bryant appeared to be a project. He showcased his elite defensive ability in the NBA Summer League, which earned him minutes for the Spurs during the first half of the season. 

However, until recently, he struggled mightily, raising questions about why he wasn't spending time in Austin. Missed dunk after missed dunk, threes that were barely hitting the rim, and being far too jumpy on defense didn't help his case.

Fortunately, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson stuck with him. Bryant's game has done a complete 180, proving Johnson was right to have faith in him. 

The sudden emergence of Bryant as a worthy rotation player proved to be a devastating blow for former Spur Jeremy Sochan. Many hoped that Sochan could develop into what Bryant is becoming. 

But that never happened, and he fell out of the rotation and was eventually waived. With Bryant playing well, that cemented Sochan's fate and gives San Antonio hope that he can be the perfect fit to their young core. 

Carter Bryant made Jeremy Sochan expendable for the Spurs

Bryant has looked like a different player since his short NBA G-League stint, and the Spurs have been better for it. He appears to be more confident and less lost on offense, knowing exactly when to cut and not afraid to take risks when he's open. 

Defensively, he's shown much more discipline with him jumping passing lanes and biting on pump fakes. His length, athleticism, and defensive instincts are beginning to show through, and we've seen him have several games recently where he's been absolutely disruptive on defense. 

Bryant is terrific at fighting over screens, making it next to impossible for his defender to gain separation. That has resulted in him racking up a surprising number of blocks and steals.

I'm equally as impressed offensively. His shot has looked great, with him drilling 44.8% of his 4.1 3-point attempts per game over the last seven contests. And those aforementioned missed dunks are becoming a thing of the past—NBA Dunk Contest notwithstanding.

Bryant has become an absolute menace on defense who can drill open threes and score off cuts and in transition, all while being able to play power forward. That is exactly the player this team needs, and we're hoping that Sochan will be this season. However, we didn't see Johnson's vision; our bad.