At the Summer League, the rookies have begun to show off their skills on the court. On Thursday, the San Antonio Spurs faced the Philadelphia 76ers. Although the No. 2 pick, Dylan Harper, wasn’t able to participate in the summer game, his fellow rookie was present. Forward Carter Bryant started the game and left a strong impression on a former NBA champion.
In the first three quarters, Bryant only had five points. He didn’t have the best scoring performance as he only shot 16.7 percent from the field. However, he made up for his offensive lapses with how he defended the opposing team. The former Arizona forward had one steal and three blocks against the 76ers, through 18 minutes of action.
While the game isn’t over yet, former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins has already made a comparison for the 14th pick. According to Perkins, Bryant looked like the New York Knicks forward, OG Anunoby.
“Carter Bryant has a lot of OG Anunoby in him!!!!” the 2008 champion posted on X.
Carter Bryant has a lot of OG Anunoby in him!!!!
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) July 11, 2025
During the Summer League game, San Antonio Spurs’ general manager, Brian Wright, talked about the rookie forward.
“I think you saw tonight, he’s very mature approach with it,” Wright said via Josh Paredes’ post on X. “He doesn’t force things offensively, he takes what the defense is giving him. And defensively, he’s a menace. He’s active with his hands, he’s guarding all over the floor… We’re really excite about his growth and development and what he can add to our team long term.”
He showed a lot of promise in college, where he appeared in 37 games. During that span, he averaged 6.5 points and 4.1 rebounds on 37.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Harrison Barnes believes Mitch Johnson is the right person to lead the San Antonio Spurs
For the longest time, the San Antonio Spurs were coached by Gregg Popovich. However, his health concerns last season prevented him from being the full-time head coach of the organization. This resulted in Mitch Johnson being named as the interim head coach for the entire 2024-25 NBA season. After the campaign was over, Pop decided to step down from his position, while still being the president of basketball operations.
The Spurs announced that Johnson was named the official head coach and replacement of Pop. Heading into next season, where he’ll be the official head coach of San Antonio, forward Harrison Barnes was asked about his thoughts on the transition.
“The standard he sets every day. Being with Coach Pop. Having the trust of the players and organization. He’s the right guy to lead this franchise forward,” Barnes said.
Harrison Barnes on Mitch Johnson: "The standard he sets every day. Being with Coach Pop. Having the trust of the players and organization. He's the right guy to lead this franchise forward." pic.twitter.com/gEkSdTo0Nt
— Josh Paredes (@Josh810) July 11, 2025
Next season, Johnson will be the official head coach for the San Antonio Spurs.
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Follow me on X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at reignamuraonba@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
