Carter Bryant Praises Devin Vassell Ahead of Spurs Season

San Antonio Spurs rookie forward Carter Bryant has singled out Devin Vassell as the teammate he most wants to watch develop during the 2026-27 NBA season, praising the seventh-year guard's consistency and defensive contributions after a campaign that took the team to the NBA Finals.

Bryant, the No. 14 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft, shared his assessment after the Spurs' Tuesday morning shootaround ahead of their season opener against Oklahoma City. He pointed to Vassell's performance during the team's 62-win season and its subsequent run to the Finals, where San Antonio lost to New York in five games.

Bryant said Vassell's reliability throughout the previous season stood out, while the veteran guard continued expanding his game during training camp and the preseason.

"I'm really excited to see Dev play," Bryant said. "I've said it many times. Dev is one of my favorite players, if not my favorite player, to watch in the NBA."

Vassell averaged 13.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game across 67 regular-season appearances last season, shooting 38.4% from 3-point range, according to the source reports. During 23 postseason appearances, he recorded averages of 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists while delivering strong defensive performances.

Bryant credited Vassell with providing a dependable presence throughout both phases of the Spurs' season and helping elevate the team's overall performance.

"He was our most consistent (player) on the team last year, whether it was regular season or the playoffs," Bryant said. "He just kept expanding his game. He's been doing a hell of a job working (during camp and the preseason), and he's always been a hell of a player, but obviously he's one of those guys that just puts us over the top as a team."

Vassell's defensive highlights included blocks against three prominent centers during the playoffs: Donovan Clingan of Portland in the first round, Rudy Gobert of Minnesota in the second round and Chet Holmgren of Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals. Those plays featured the guard challenging shots at the rim against taller opponents.

The Spurs finished last season ranked third in the NBA in defensive rating, according to Vassell, who identified defensive execution and transition stops as central to the team's approach.

Vassell said the team needed to maintain its defensive habits and improve on its previous performance to remain difficult to beat.

"That (defense) is what we hang our hats on," Vassell said last week. "If we could get stops when we're playing on transition, there's no team that can guard us. So if we could focus on that and get back to those habits and be even better than last year, we'd be a really tough team to beat."