Spurs ahead Carter Bryant with some main love for teammate Devin Vassell
Spurs ahead Carter Bryant had some excessive reward for Devin Vassell after shootaround Tuesday morning.
Asked if there was a sure teammate he is enthusiastic about seeing develop in 2026-27, the No. 14 total choose of the 2026 NBA draft pointed straight on the seventh-year guard.
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“I’m actually excited to see Dev play,” Bryant mentioned hours earlier than the Spurs confronted Oklahoma City within the season opener. “I’ve mentioned it many occasions. Dev is one in every of my favourite gamers, if not my favourite participant, to observe within the NBA.”
Bryant mentioned he was impressed by how “regular” Vassell was for the Spurs final season of their stunning 62-win season that was capped by a surprising run to the NBA Finals, the place they misplaced to New York in 5 video games.
Vassell averaged 13.9 factors, 4.0 rebounds and a pair of.5 assists whereas capturing 38.4% from 3-point vary over 67 video games final season. In 23 postseason appearances, he averaged 13.0 factors, 5.3 rebounds and a pair of.7 assists whereas additionally taking part in excellent protection.
“He was our most constant (participant) on the staff final yr, whether or not it was common season or the playoffs,” Bryant mentioned. “He simply saved increasing his recreation. He’s been doing a hell of a job working (throughout camp and the preseason), and he is at all times been a hell of a participant, however clearly he is a kind of guys that simply places us excessive as a staff.”
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Vassell’s blocks of 7-footers within the playoffs ranked as one of many highlights of the unbelievable playoff run by the younger staff. He rejected photographs on the rim in opposition to Portland’s Donovan Clingan within the first spherical, Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert within the second spherical and the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren within the Western Conference finals.
“That (protection) is what we dangle our hats on,” Vassell mentioned final week, referring to the Spurs ending final season ranked third within the NBA in defensive ranking. “If we might get stops once we’re taking part in on transition, there is not any staff that may guard us. So if we might deal with that and get again to these habits and be even higher than final yr, we might be a extremely robust staff to beat.”
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This article initially revealed at Spurs forward Carter Bryant with some major love for teammate Devin Vassell.
