Spurs forward Carter Bryant with some major love for teammate Devin Vassell

Spurs forward Carter Bryant had some high praise for Devin Vassell after shootaround Tuesday morning.

Asked if there was a certain teammate he’s excited about seeing grow in 2026-27, the No. 14 overall pick of the 2026 NBA draft pointed directly at the seventh-year guard.

“I’m really excited to see Dev play,” Bryant said hours before the Spurs faced Oklahoma City in the season opener. “I’ve said it many times. Dev is one of my favorite players, if not my favorite player, to watch in the NBA.”

Bryant said he was impressed by how “steady” Vassell was for the Spurs last season in their surprising 62-win season that was capped by a shocking run to the NBA Finals, where they lost to New York in five games.

Vassell averaged 13.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 38.4% from 3-point range over 67 games last season. In 23 postseason appearances, he averaged 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists while also playing outstanding defense.

“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 blocks of 7-footers in the playoffs ranked as one of the highlights of the improbable playoff run by the young team. He rejected shots at the rim against Portland’s Donovan Clingan in the first round, Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert in the second round and the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren in the Western Conference finals.

“That (defense) is what we hang our hats on,” Vassell said last week, referring to the Spurs finishing last season ranked third in the NBA in defensive rating. “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.”

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This article originally published at Spurs forward Carter Bryant with some major love for teammate Devin Vassell.