The San Antonio Spurs drafted Carter Bryant 14th overall to much fanfare. Expected to be a high-level 3-and-D player, the Spurs were willing to trade up to draft him, although that ended up being unnecessary.
Bryant shot a solid 37.1 percent from deep in his lone season at the University of Arizona, although he was a standout defender. Still, he was a bench player and is expected to be very, very raw in the NBA, although with time to develop behind Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, Julian Champagnie, and Keldon Johnson, there isn't much of a rush.
Upon being picked by San Antonio as a wing, it was hard to ignore the similarities between him and Spurs legend Sean Elliott, who made two All-Star teams with the Spurs and two All-American appearances with the Wildcats. Elliott is the color commentator for the Spurs' broadcasts.
"Every time I walked outside of the game, it would either be people telling me to stay [at Arizona] longer so I could be like Sean, or people telling me that I reminded them of Sean Elliott on the court," Bryant revealed. "So I mean, that's a hell of a person to be compared to. I'm not complaining."
Elliott himself has admitted that he sees a little bit of his game in Bryant's, although Elliott is likely a better shooter, and Bryant is likely a better defender, although "Ninja" was no slouch.
Elliott is the best player to ever suit up for Arizona, helped by the fact that he stayed for all four seasons before being picked third overall by the Spurs.
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