Spurs are sitting on a Carter Bryant breakthrough nobody discusses enough

The Spurs had great moments throughout the regular season and the playoffs, but one undeniable truth is that things will look different for certain players in the 2026-27 campaign. We'll see several guys operate in new, more prominent roles, one of whom is Carter Bryant, whose versatility will be fully unleashed for San Antonio.

Bryant was very promising in his rookie year, especially on the postseason stage. He did an amazing job defensively, using his length and size to slow down some elite scorers like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He also gave us a look into his offensive arsenal, knocking down the occasional corner three or finishing at the rim.

But we only got to see him in small spurts. He played 11.5 minutes per game during the regular season and 8.5 in the playoffs. Some of that was justified as he made several mistakes that could be chalked up to inexperience. But Mitch Johnson will undoubtedly call on his number more next season to provide on both ends of the floor.

We'll see more of Carter's offensive skill set

One thing that was tough to ignore during Bryant's playoff minutes was his hesitancy to shoot the ball. There were several possessions where he passed up some good opportunities from beyond the arc. That's not surprising for a rookie, though. The fear of making mistakes and getting subbed out is usually the culprit behind passiveness on offense.

But there were also times when we saw flashes of his ability to make long-distance shots. After the All-Star break, he drained 35% of his looks and made 41% in the playoffs. The latter came on low volume (just 1.3 attempts per game), but the evidence of him becoming a reliable shooting threat is there.

His confidence as a shooter could go a long way in unlocking more in his scoring arsenal. If he turns into a decent threat from range, defenders will close out more aggressively, allowing him to drive past them and use his athleticism to finish at the rim.

Carter Bryant's transition into becoming a dangerous slashing 3&D threat off the bench for the Spurs next year will raise their ceiling by boosting a two-way attack that was already amongst the best in the league last season.

Do we see more of Carter Bryant as a small ball-five?

Mitch Johnson didn't go to his small-ball lineups as much in the NBA Finals, even though we saw them in action throughout the first three rounds of the postseason. It had some good moments, and a lot of that was due to Carter Bryant's activity.

He's an athletic forward with great size, so deploying him as a small-ball five had its benefits on defense. We also saw him operate as a bit of an offensive hub in those minutes, directing the Spurs' offense from the top of the key.

With his potential growth as a shooter, we'll see him be even more dangerous in that sort of role for San Antonio. Now, you should expect them to target another big body this summer to accompany Wemby, either through the draft, trade, or free agency.

But as Mitch Johnson grows as a coach, he'll get more and more comfortable with lineup experimentation. We'll still see a ton of the Spurs' small ball next season.

This season, we saw flashes of Carter Bryant's versatility. On the next go-around, that versatility will be on display even more with more usage. It'll be a driving factor behind the Spurs' continued success and a possible return to the championship stage.

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