What Was Carter Bryant's 'Welcome to the NBA' Moment? Guarding Devin Vassell

SAN ANTONIO — In his own words, Brian Wright was not expecting Carter Bryant to be available at pick No. 14 of the 2025 NBA Draft. So much so, he took him in a heartbeat.

I actually tried to make some moves to potentially go and get him," the San Antonio Spurs' general manager admitted after the selection. "Things just kind of break sometimes."

Within days, both Bryant and Rutgers star Dylan Harper made their way from Brooklyn, N.Y. to San Antonio. They met with team brass and, later, their coaches. That's when Bryant learned what he was in for. Spurs shooting coach Jimmy Baron put him straight to work.

On Day 2 of practice, the forward drew the arduous task of guarding Devin Vassell.

"I'll never forget it," Bryant said, laughing during a July appearance on "Road Trippin’ Show" while in Las Vegas for NBA Summer League 2026. "I've never seen a human being hit that many contested shots ... I promise you, he probably hit 18 shots in a row."

That, paired with two weeks of being burned in the post by newly acquired veteran center Kelly Olynyk, presented Bryant with somewhat of a short-lived identity crisis.

"I should not have put my name in the draft," Bryant recalls thinking during his early days in San Antonio. "I am not ready to be here ... I (was) like, "This is bad. I don't belong here.'"

Jun 8, 2026; New York, New York, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) reacts during Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Vassell emerged as one of the most consistent shooters for Mitch Johnson in a campaign that turned into San Antonio's first NBA Finals berth since 2014. After claiming his game was made for big moments, he backed up the rhetoric with his numbers.

Across 23 appearances, the shooting guard averaged 13 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals on 43 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from 3 — good for second on the roster behind 25-year-old Julian Champagnie.

While none of Vassell's teammates were truly surprised by his production, Bryant was the least of the bunch. After the rookie was welcomed to the league by Vassell's hot shooting, he made the decision to learn from him. Bryant often spent time after practice just watching.

"I sit there and watch him shoot for 15-20 minutes," Bryant said. "As much as he's my teammate, he's one of my favorite players to watch. He's electric when he gets hot."

The extra study helped Bryant down the stretch. After nailing a pair of big 3s in a late-season matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, Johnson made clear Bryant would play a postseason role, even if in limited minutes. Like everything else, Bryant made the most of it.

"His drive to want to get better and learn more has been off the charts," Keldon Johnson said during The Finals. "He's so locked in. He's taking notes. He's energetic, doing everything we ask him to do. It's been good to see C.B. (and) how far he's come this season."

Added Johnson: "Carter has been as coachable as anybody."

Bryant ended up with just under 10 minutes per game in the playoffs, shooting 41 percent from distance when called upon. He, too, feels the burn of falling short of a championship, but plans to use the experience as a launchpad for what he hopes will be a lengthy career.

Especially because these days, he likely fares much better against Vassell in practice.

"I think I showed flashes of what I'm capable of in the future," Bryant said, "but ... there's a lot of work I have to do ... if I'm going to be one of the best players in the world."

Add us as a preferred source on Google