Carter Bryant's offensive revelation already answers his biggest question

Everyone knew that Carter Bryant could defend. His explosive ability was apparent on that side of the floor immediately, and he carried it into the postseason, shadowing guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards. So, while it's fun to watch, it wasn't what made his summer league performances exciting. Seeing him get buckets was.

Now, we don't have to talk much about his 0-5 start in his first game. He was clearly rusty. In fact, wipe it from your mind as if you were hit by a Men in Black neurolyzer. Bryant was much better in the second half, going 4-8 from the field and even getting to the free-throw line a bit.

The Arizona State product put together a full game next time, and that's when he gave us the numbers you see in the graphic above. It wasn't just about the number of points he scored, though. It was how Bryant got them.

Carter Bryant is showing off a more polished offensive game

CB's first bucket came on a drive down the lane where he got physical with his man, dislodging him with a shoulder bump before finishing a right-handed layup. We saw him pump fake his defender into the stands before repositioning for a pull-up three he cashed in on.

Not too long after, Bryant catches the ball at the top of the key and gets to the left elbow in two dribbles before rising to drill a midrange shot. It was a strong move that he created space with by throwing another subtle shoulder into his would-be denier when they met at his spot.

We saw a little bit of everything from the 20-year-old wing. It's exactly what the Spurs were hoping for when they selected him at the end of the lottery last summer. Brian Wright said the team tried to move up to grab the explosive forward, but fortunately, it wasn't necessary. Now he's rewarding the franchise's belief in him by growing quickly because, quite frankly, he shouldn't be this good this fast.

Bryant is one of the youngest players in the league, but he carries himself like a veteran. His mature mindset is a valuable asset to his growth, and the Spurs get to reap the benefits by association. The soon-to-be sophomore looked comfortable running the offense, making reads, and scoring from all over the floor.

San Antonio drafted Bryant, believing he was the quintessential 3&D player, and they were right. But he can be more than that, and he's already proving it with his rapid offensive development. It should lead to more minutes next season, because there's no way the Spurs don't feel the same way as the rest of us.

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