Player The Burgeoning 3&D American Sign Language Consulate of Carter Bryant

[Raven_]

Love seeing his growth and confidence on the rise!

Shane Battier was always the one who got away back in the Spurs prior glory years. He would've been perfect with Tim, Tony and Manu. I see CB as a different archetype. Battier didn't have those hops and athleticism.

CB can effectively guard 1-3 and sometimes 4. It seems like the game has slowed down a bit, with more of that to come. It also seems like the coaches have simplified his role on offense and that has worked well. Stand in the corner, move to the dunker's spot. Pass the ball unless you have a wide open 3 or a dunk. Simple and he's doing well within those boundaries, which is all we need from him at this time.

what are you guys smoking, like seriously... he can guard 3s and 4s, that's it. And Castle can guard 1s and 2s and play bend don't break against 3s. Stop with this narrative like everyone can defend everybody

 

[spurraider21]

I think Carter Bryant will probably get a chance to play in the playoffs, but I also think people should be prepared for the possibility that he’ll be on a short leash when he does. That’s usually how playoff rotations work. Coaches tend to tighten things up and lean on players they trust when the margin for error gets smaller. That doesn’t mean Bryant won’t get opportunities, just that those minutes will likely depend on how things are going in real time.

More generally, I think it’s easy for all of us to assume that whatever isn’t currently happening might automatically be the better option. It happens a lot in discussions here. When a player hasn’t been given a bigger role yet, it’s natural to focus on the upside and imagine how it might help. But there’s always the other side too, where things don’t go as smoothly as we hope. A lot of what we see are the flashes, so it’s easy to project from that, even though the full picture is usually more complicated.

Do you feel better about him now than you did immediately post-draft?

 

[Guru of Nothing]

Don't really see the Shane Battier comparison.

One relies a lot on athleticism and the other was a fluid and skilled but relatively unathletic Dukie.

Until a better comparison comes along, I'll stick with the more dynamic (athletic) Michael Cooper from the showtime Lakers.

The Bobby Jones comparison isn't bad either (if it's that now ancient but then very athletic player with the Julius Erving era Sixers -- somebody must be almost as old as I am).

He be the one, and yeah you're old

 

[OK Computer]

Do you feel better about him now than you did immediately post-draft?

Admittedly I wasn’t a big fan of the Carter Bryant pick at the time. A lot of that had to do with where the team seemed to be in its development. There were still a lot of unanswered questions about how the offense would actually look. Castle hadn’t yet shown he would take on such a big role offensively (with the team fully healthy), and Harper hadn’t played a game yet. Yes, we had the second pick and Harper was likely to become that guy, but I never like counting my chickens before they hatch. I wanted to see at least some of it on the court before assuming he would step into that responsibility.

Because of that, it felt like there was still a major role open for a third consistent scorer or offensive engine behind Wemby and Fox. At the time that made me less interested in using the pick on a 3-and-D type player. I leaned more toward someone like Sorber because I thought he had the potential to eventually carry more offensive responsibility if needed.

Now that we’ve seen how the team is actually functioning, my view has changed quite a bit. The Spurs clearly had a clearer picture of what they were building than most of us did from the outside. With Wemby and Fox driving things and Castle and Harper taking on real offensive responsibility, the need for another ball-dominant scorer isn’t nearly what it looked like back then.

In that context, Carter Bryant makes a lot more sense. His role is pretty clear: be disruptive defensively, stay active, move the ball, and make the shots that come to him. Around a core like Wemby, Fox, Castle, and Harper, players who can do those things without needing the offense to run through them are extremely valuable. Bryant fits that type of role much more clearly now than it might have seemed immediately after the draft.

 

[MannyIG]

what are you guys smoking, like seriously... he can guard 3s and 4s, that's it. And Castle can guard 1s and 2s and play bend don't break against 3s. Stop with this narrative like everyone can defend everybody

I think its pretty clear CB has the ability to guard pretty much any position on the court in certain situations. I'm not saying you should put him on Jalen Brunson outright, but in a switch situation he can definitely stay in front of point guards. He has really good lateral quickness.

 

[JMarkJohns]

Carter reminds me of a more athletic James Posey. Physical, aggressive, and versatile 2-4 upside on D, seems to have just enough of an all around offensive game with perimeter shooting upside he will be a Swiss Army knife on that end.

Per-36 rookie Carter is averaging 12-8-1.5 with 1.8 stocks on 33% 3FG

First 5 years of Posey Per-36 is 13-6.5-2.5 and 2.3 Stocks on 33% 3FG

Each is about 6-8, 220 pounds. I think Posey was more physically strong and think Carter is more physically gifted with athleticism and reach.

 

[Knoxxx]

When we say he can guard the 1-4 that’s with the idea that there are lot of larger PGs these days in the NBA. It doesn’t mean we think CB should be chasing around someone like our D Fox. It was funny watching him guard Lopez a little though. Why I have no idea.

 

[ginobilized]

what are you guys smoking, like seriously... he can guard 3s and 4s, that's it. And Castle can guard 1s and 2s and play bend don't break against 3s. Stop with this narrative like everyone can defend everybody

I’m just one guy and am not smoking anything. I’ll continue with my own narrative here regardless of your reactions.

 

[mudyez]

Hell with all the Thompson twins and Camara hype, we might have just found our version of such a player. Not saying he is there yet but he might even be a better fit if the 3pt shooting stays where it is over the last few weeks.

 

[Maddog]

Hell with all the Thompson twins and Camara hype, we might have just found our version of such a player. Not saying he is there yet but he might even be a better fit if the 3pt shooting stays where it is over the last few weeks.

He shot .371 on 2.8 shots per game in college
Unlike a lot of these players there's at least some evidence that he can hit from three

 

[JMarkJohns]

I’d anticipate 36% being an average to build around. He’s not going to be Klay Thompson, his form just isn’t that smooth. But he can be good enough to be a versatile positional weapon. As he settles in and adjusts to the speed and length of NBA he’ll find a valued groove.

 

[Raven_]

I’m just one guy and am not smoking anything. I’ll continue with my own narrative here regardless of your reactions.

nothing personal, it's just a pattern i keep seeing a lot