With the San Antonio Spurs off to their best start in years, it's clear that depth has played a big part in their success. They have managed to weather early injuries to De'Aaron Fox, Jeremy Sochan, Luke Kornet, Dylan Harper, and Kelly Olynyk thanks to them being among the deepest teams in the NBA. That has also opened up the door for Spurs lottery pick Carter Bryant.
Bryant has gotten spot minutes thus far and has impressed with his athleticism and tenacity on the defensive end. His offense is still a work in progress, but he does have a decent shooting touch, even if some of his misses are way off the mark.
Still, defense is his calling card and the reason he is already getting minutes even as a teenager. It shows that the Spurs are already comfortable with him on that end of the floor. That is rare for a player so young and speaks volumes about his potential as a defender.
The Spurs are banking on Carter Bryant being another draft steal
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Bryant may still be a couple of years away from being a true rotation player, but he seems like a possible long-term replacement for Keldon Johnson or [perhaps even Jeremy Sochan](https://airalamo.com/jeremy-sochan-extension-nightmare-awaits-spurs). His athleticism and shooting touch should allow him to play the three capably, though he has the height, length, and physicality to play the four.
The Spurs should hope he can develop into a four, just in case Sochan doesn't pan out. He may not have Sochan's defensive skill set just yet, but he is further along in terms of 3-point shooting. That could be the deciding factor in Sochan's fit, and Bryant's too.
It almost goes without saying, but the hope is that both players emerge as at least capable 3-point shooters. But even if they both do, then keeping Sochan and Bryant may be unsustainable long-term.
Bryant is the latest addition to the already stacked young core
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Fortunately, Bryant is only a rookie, and if he develops faster than expected, then the Spurs could afford both players in the short term. The fact that Bryant is already playing rotation minutes as a rookie on a good Spurs team hints that he might be closer to becoming an impact player than many might suspect.
After all, many mid-to-late first-round Spurs selections play at least some in the NBA G League to start their careers before eventually getting limited playing time as a rookie. That already isn't the case for Carter, and if he does quickly emerge as a key two-way player for the Spurs, their already stacked young roster would suddenly be all the more impressive.