San Antonio Spurs 2025 lottery picks Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant have known each other for a couple of years. That's not the only link they now share. Both have expressed admiration for the Spurs' legacy and legendary players.
“I walked into a breakfast, Manu [Ginobili] was there. Then I saw Timmy D [Duncan] and I saw Coach [Gregg] Popovich. ‘Oh my gosh,' that's my whole childhood just standing right in front of me,'” Carter Bryant has said since joining the Silver and Black.
Carter Bryant on his new reality with the #Spurs …
"I walked into a breakfast, Manu was there. Then I saw Timmy D and I saw Coach Popovich. 'Oh my gosh,' that's my whole childhood just standing right in front of me…"
Full answer⬇️#GoSpursGo#PorVida pic.twitter.com/d3I8JUrAgr
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“I talk to him the most,” Harper told NBA insider Marc J. Spears of Andscape/ESPN about Ginobili. “More about just the game and the speed and just how he adapted to it from a FIBA standpoint to coming over here.”
“I met Pop the first day I was there and Tim. Pop was there getting treatment and doing exercises,” Harper continued. “That is not regular in any NBA gym. You see a Hall of Fame coach, a Hall of Fame player walking around the gym. And they are there every day. I can pick their brain and ask questions.”
Carter Bryant and Dylan Harper share admiration for Spurs
Harper was the second player drafted in June. Bryant went 14th.
“I think the first thing I immediately noticed is top to bottom they just run different,” Bryant said of the Spurs.
“I think that's something you notice immediately with that organization,” he continued. “They're very clean. They get things done very quickly. They are very precise and they have intention behind everything they do. And I think the clear message I got behind everything is they're trying to get back to the top, so being able to win games at a very high level and being able to compete for a championship. That's the first thing that I really got from the whole staff.”
Harper echoed the sentiment about the five-time champions as he hearkened back to his college days and fellow 2025 lottery selection Ace Bailey, who's now with the Utah Jazz.
“Dang, it's definitely exciting. I'm grateful and I think me and Ace Bailey, that day we took a chance on Rutgers, I think me and him could have probably the best experience we could have got out of it, just from the standpoint of the highs and lows and just the great people taking care of us,” Harper reflected. “And I feel like the Spurs are definitely just like that, but just a different level next level. Great people around and a great organization. It's definitely it's amazing.”
Harper's impression of the Spurs has partly been shaped by his burgeoning relationship with Ginobili, who helped guide San Antonio through two decades that rank among the best in basketball history. The former legendary sixth-man turned Spurs employee is counseling the 19-year-old on not only the game, but the mental portion as well as the realities of the NBA.
19 years old himself, Bryant comes with a sense beyond his age. It's a mindset that fit the Spurs before he arrived.
“It's been something my family has said. I feel like I've landed in the perfect place in San Antonio,” Bryant shared.
“They asked me a question, ‘Are you more process-driven or results-driven?” And I was like, ‘I've always been process-driven.' I've never been the best player in the country,” the former Arizona Wildcat revealed about the pre-draft process.
“I've never been the best at absolutely anything in my game. So, for me, just being able to compete, not focus on the result, and focus on the process.”
The Spurs hope Bryant's attitude, paired with Harper will turn their process into results.
