Spurs could grant Carter Bryant something Jeremy Sochan never received

The San Antonio Spurs are clearly high on rising sophomore Carter Bryant. So much so that they could give him something they never gave former lottery pick Jeremy Sochan.

Sochan unfortunately flamed out while on the Spurs and was waived midway through his fourth season with the team. He now finds himself fighting to make the Portland Trail Blazers on a non-guaranteed contract.

Meanwhile, Bryant is well positioned to earn a rotation spot on a championship-caliber team, which could help his long-term growth. Compare that to Sochan, who was a starter for two-plus years but never made an impact on a good team, with the Spurs being in rebuilding mode at the time.

Spurs may grant Carter Bryant something Jeremy Sochan never got

In some ways, starting young players can help them gain valuable experience and improve on their game. On the other hand, especially in Sochan's case, it worked to his detriment.

Who can forget San Antonio experimenting by having Sochan start at point guard? In theory, starting Sochan at point guard made sense.

After all, he had more ball-handling skills than a typical power forward, and they were hoping that he would eventually become a Draymond Green-level playmaker.

Unfortunately, he struggled in that role, and the Spurs lost a franchise-record 18 straight games due to the Point-Sochan experiment. I'd argue that torpedoed his sophomore season, essentially making it a year lost in his development. Even worse for Sochan, an unfortunate injury derailed what was shaping up to be a breakout third season.

He really seemed like he was putting it all together before he suffered an ill-timed injury. That negatively affected his momentum and allowed Harrison Barnes to establish himself as a crucial member of the Spurs.

Bryant is earning minutes on a good Spurs team, unlike Sochan

After that, it was all she wrote for Sochan in San Antonio. Fortunately, San Antonio isn't about to make the same mistake with Bryant. They are bringing him along slowly but surely.

Even when he was a tire fire early on during his rookie season, they gave him small but meaningful minutes. That paid off big time, with him steadily improving and even playing in most of their postseason games.

Having a 20-year-old be an above-average defender and a capable 3-point shooter is a rarity. Particularly one who is 6-8 with terrific athleticism and can play the three and the four. Even so, he might be behind veterans Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson to begin next season.

Despite that, no one would be surprised to see him replace Johnson in the rotation by mid-season. If that's the case, then Bryant would have done something Sochan never did in San Antonio: contribute to a winning team.

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