Despite Cooper Flagg’s 31-Point Explosion, Carter Bryant Praised For Stifling Defense

Spurs rookie Carter Bryant showed promising signs against the 2025 NBA No.1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg during their summer league match.

Despite Cooper Flagg’s 31-Point Explosion, Carter Bryant Praised For Stifling Defense

Cooper Flagg and Carter Bryant (Image by FirstSportz)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

The NBA Summer League is up and running in full steam as the newly drafted players showcase their ability and their skills on the court against each other. The San Antonio Spurs recently faced off against the Dallas Mavericks, with the fans keeping a close eye on two stars on each side: Cooper Flagg for the Mavs and Carter Bryant for the Spurs.

It was surely an exciting clash, with the Spurs coming out victorious in the two. In addition, Flagg played much better than he did against the Lakers on Thursday. Flagg concluded with 31 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one block in his 31 minutes of play. He was 8-of-13 from the free-throw line and 10-of-21 from the field, featuring 3-of-9 from beyond the arc.

Despite Flagg’s impressive numbers against the Spurs, it was Carter Bryant who stunned the NBA fans and the in-game commentators with his top-notch defense on Flagg and his teammates. So much so that the commentators singled out Bryant with praise during the game. Bryant’s defensive prowess is well-known. Playmaking, constant work, and a high basketball IQ are characteristics of his game.

He is very good at placing himself, using his athleticism and length to block shots and get steals. According to scouting reports, he is regarded as one of the top wing players in his class and develops as a positive defender at the professional level, even though he needs to get used to the NBA’s faster pace. He will be one to watch out for alongside the Spurs’ star man, Victor Wembanyama.

Carter-Bryant
Carter Bryant (Image Credits: Liberty Ballers)

Despite not getting as much playing time as he would have liked in college, he has the physical attributes and two-way potential to have a significant impact on winning at the top level. Only time will tell how Bryant performs in the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season.

Fans left surprised after watching Carter Bryant’s impressive performance against the Mavs

If one were to look at Carter Bryant’s numbers in the game against the Mavs on Saturday, he/she would surely not be impressed. But Bryant’s performance against the Mavs and Cooper Flagg was not about the numbers; it was down to his brilliant defense throughout the game. Many were quick to notice that and acknowledged the rookie.

The majority of the fans did not waste any time praising the Spurs rookie. Many of them took to various social media apps and sites to put forward their views on the youngster’s performance. One fan wrote on X, “If the Spurs can develop him like how they developed Kawhi offensively, damn…. He’s gonna be elite asf.” Check out some of the fan reactions below:

Almost every time the Spurs’ rookie and Flagg were on the court together, they matched up, and it was clear that the rookie’s defensive prowess earned him a lottery choice. Despite his propensity for getting into foul trouble, Braynt has the potential to be an NBA great defender from the start.

Carter Bryant shared his views after an impressive performance against Cooper Flagg

Carter Bryant was all over the Mavs’ attack on Saturday during his NBA Summer League matchup. As mentioned above, his matchup against Cooper Flagg throughout the game caught much attention. After the game, Bryant thought back on Flagg’s performance. The Spurs’ rookie, who was well aware of Flagg’s skill as the 2025 NBA Draft’s first overall pick, clarified why he was unfazed by his opponent’s attempts.

Just be process-driven rather than results-driven… What did he finish with, 32? 33 points? I just put my head down and get after it every play. Guys are gonna make tough shots. They’re good players and they’re gonna score the basketball, so it’s their job to do what they can on the offensive end and my job is to do what I can on the defensive end.

Carter Bryant told the media

All in all, Bryant has huge defensive potential. He posted 4.3 fouls per 36 minutes as a freshman at Arizona the previous season, and he committed four fouls in 27 minutes against Dallas. This is something he can surely improve on going forward in his professional career.

Also Read: