By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-07-14 13:47:20
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
内华达州拉斯维加斯 - 7月12日：在2025年NBA夏季联赛于内华达州拉斯维加斯托马斯与麦克中心举行的一场比赛下半场中，达拉斯独行侠队的库珀·弗拉格 (Cooper Flagg) #32号被圣安东尼奥马刺队的卡特·布莱恩特 (Carter Bryant) #11号犯规。
拉斯维加斯 – 马刺新秀前锋卡特·布莱恩特 (Carter Bryant) 在夏季联赛中展现了诸多证据，表明他已掌握了3D（三分和防守）球员模式中的防守部分。
但“3分”部分的故事则截然不同。
周六马刺队以76-69战胜达拉斯队的比赛中，布莱恩特对库珀·弗拉格的紧逼防守极其到位，赛后这位状元秀对这位第14顺位新秀赞不绝口。
“他防守真的很好，”弗拉格说道，他本场21投10中得到31分，“整个比赛他看起来一点都不累。他对我全场领防，我确实感觉有点上气不接下气了，但他就是一直在那里进行出色的身体对抗性防守。”
比赛初期，布莱恩特曾有过一个亮点时刻：他成功阻止弗拉格在外线获得进攻空间，那一回合最终以弗拉格失误告终。
“他身体真的很长，所以他能很好地利用自己的身高臂长进行防守，”弗拉格谈到布莱恩特时说。
然而在球场的另一端，布莱恩特却未能让对手感到疲惫。
这位来自加州里弗赛德、身高6英尺7英寸的球员，在周一晚对阵犹他爵士队的比赛前，在拉斯维加斯夏季联赛的两场比赛中，场均仅得到3.5分，三分线外场均出手4.5次，命中率仅为11.1%。
但如果19岁的布莱恩特真的对投篮如此失准感到担忧，那么他隐藏得很好。
“从我四五岁起，我就一直用完全相同的方式投篮，”他说，“球会进的。我相信我将成为这个联盟中最好的射手之一。”
此前在马刺队上周四111-70大胜费城队的比赛中，布莱恩特三分球4投1中，而对阵独行侠他则是5投0中，但他对此不以为然，同时享受着又一次出色防守表现带来的光芒。
“那不会定义我作为一个篮球运动员的价值，”他说，“能够拥有其他可以依靠的能力，除了投篮或得分之外，还能积极影响比赛，这是我的主要重心。”
马刺队助理教练迈克·诺伊斯 (Mike Noyes) 担任球队夏季联赛主教练，他在费城比赛后这样说道：“卡特表现非常出色，我不在乎他得了多少分。”
但从长远来看，马刺队希望看到布莱恩特的投篮有所改善。他上赛季作为亚利桑那大学的大一新生，场均出手2.8次，三分命中率高达37.1%，场均得到6.5分，主要以替补身份出场——鉴于此，他最终能投好篮是很有可能的事。
“NBA的三分线比大学联赛的要远一些，所以我的大多数投篮都偏短了，”布莱恩特谈到他夏季联赛中投篮不准的挣扎时说，他在旧金山参加了三场加州经典赛后，又在拉斯维加斯参加了两场比赛，目前三分球总计22投3中（命中率13.6%）。
作为一名自称是“过程驱动”型的人，布莱恩特无疑会享受适应NBA三分投篮的这段旅程，这很可能包括在训练营和整个常规赛中，与马刺队投篮教练吉米·巴伦 (Jimmy Baron) 投入大量时间训练。
“我觉得我来到了圣安东尼奥这个完美的地方，”布莱恩特周六说道，“他们在我的（选秀前）面试中对我说的第一件事之一就是这个问题：‘你是更注重过程还是更注重结果？’我当时说，我一直都是过程驱动型的。我从未是全国最好的球员。我从未在我的比赛中任何方面做到最好。所以对我来说，能够竞争，不关注结果，而关注过程，你将来回顾时会更享受你的职业生涯，而不是懊恼地说‘该死，我只进了两个球。’”
“我想我今天（投篮）超过七次（一个都没进）。谁在乎呢？我周一还有一场比赛。我能去竞争。我只是很感激能有竞争的机会。”
而马刺队也很感激能拥有这样一位拥有强烈职业道德和比赛热情的球员，这些特质将促使他投入必要的努力去提升自己——就像他小时候在加州里弗赛德成长时最喜欢的球员一样。
“在洛杉矶的时候，我就是喜欢科比·布莱恩特 (Kobe Bryant)，他那种不懈努力的工作心态，”布莱恩特说，“这多少影响了我一些。”
循着这些思路，马刺队总经理布莱恩·莱特 (Brian Wright) 相信布莱恩特将成为球队“碎石”精神的典型代表。
“他是个聪明的年轻人，我认为他具备我们所寻找的正确品格和构成，”莱特说道。
而这最终应能使布莱恩特成为一个真正的外线威胁。
“我认为他还有很多潜力可挖，他会做到的，”弗拉格说道，“他会投进球的，他会做他该做的事。他是个很棒的球员，所以我知道卡特会继续进步的。”
Carter Bryant #11 of the San Antonio Spurs dribbles the ball up court against the Miami Heat during the first half in a California Classic summer league game at Chase Center on July 05, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Philadelphia 76ers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (17) drives the ball against San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant (11) during the second half of an NBA summer league basketball game Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
点击查看原文：Spurs rookie Carter Bryant confident shooting woes won't last
Spurs rookie Carter Bryant confident shooting woes won’t last
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 12: Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks is fouled by Carter Bryant #11 of the San Antonio Spurs in the second half of a 2025 NBA Summer League game at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 12, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
LAS VEGAS – Spurs rookie forward Carter Bryant has offered plenty of evidence in Summer League play that he has the defensive portion of the 3-and-D formula down.
But the “3” part has been a different story.
Bryant hounded Cooper Flagg so much in the Spurs’ 76-69 win over Dallas on Saturday that the No. 1 overall pick heaped praise on the No. 14 overall selection afterward.
“He plays really good defense,” said Flagg, who scored 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting. “He didn’t look tired at all the whole game. He was picking me up 94 (feet). I was definitely feeling a little bit gassed, but he was just there playing great defense the whole way, physical.”
One showcase moment for Bryant came early in the game when he prevented Flagg from getting separation out on the perimeter, a possession that eventually ended with Flagg committing a turnover.
“He’s really long, so he can play really good defense with his length,” Flagg said of Bryant.
On the other end of the court, Bryant has yet to tire anybody out.
The 6-foot-7 native of Riverside, Calif., entered Monday night’s game against the Utah Jazz averaging 3.5 points per game after connecting on just 11.1% of his 3-point tries on 4.5 attempts per game over two games at the Las Vegas Summer League.
But if Bryant, 19, is concerned about misfiring so much, he’s doing a good job hiding it.
“I’ve been shooting the basketball the same exact way since I’ve been four or five years old,” he said. “It is going to fall. I believe that I’m going to be one of the best shooters in this league.”
Bryant went 0 for 5 from beyond the arc against the Mavericks after going 1 for 4 in the Spurs’ 111-70 rout of Philadelphia last Thursday, but he shrugged it off while basking in the glow of another strong defensive outing.
“That’s not going to define what I am as a basketball player,” he said. “Being able to have other things to fall back on, to be able to affect the game positively outside of making shots or scoring the basketball is my main focus.”
Spurs assistant coach Mike Noyes, who head the club’s Summer League squad, put it this way after the Philadelphia game: “Carter played excellent and I don’t care how many points he scored.”
But from a long-term perspective, the Spurs want to see Bryant shoot better. And it’s a safe bet he eventually will after he shot 37.1% from distance on 2.8 attempts per game as a freshman at Arizona last season, a campaign in which he averaged 6.5 points per game while mainly coming off the bench.
“The (NBA) line is a little further (than it is in college), so most of my shots were short,” Bryant said of his struggles to find his mark during Summer League, where he is 3 of 22 overall (13.6%) on 3s after three games at the California Classic in San Francisco and a pair in Vegas.
As a self-proclaimed “process-driven” individual, Bryant will undoubtedly enjoy the journey to adjusting to NBA 3-point shooting, which will likely include spending plenty of time with Spurs shooting coach Jimmy Baron at training camp and throughout the regular season.
“I feel like I’ve landed in the perfect place in San Antonio,” Bryant said Saturday. "One of the first things they said to me during my (pre-draft) interview was this question: ‘Are you more process driven or result driven?’ I was like, I’ve always been process driven. I’ve never been the best player in the country. I’ve never been the best at absolutely anything in my game. So for me, just being able to compete and not focus on the results and focus on the process, you’re going to look back and enjoy your career much more than you would’ve if you’re like, ‘Damn, I only made two shots.’
“I think I shot over seven (shots from the field) today (making none). Who cares? I got another one on (Monday). I get to go and compete. I’m just grateful to compete.”
And the Spurs are grateful to have a player with a strong work ethic and passion for the game, traits that will lead him to putting in the work necessary to improve – just like his favorite player from his days as a kid growing up in Riverside, Calif.
Being in L.A., I just loved Kobe Bryant and him just having that mentality of just being a relentless worker," Bryant said. “It kind of rubbed off on me a little bit.”
Along those lines, Spurs general manager Brian Wright believes Bryant will be a poster boy for the franchise’s “pounding the rock” ethos.
“He’s a smart young kid and I think he’s got the right character and makeup we look for,” Wright said.
And it should eventually lead to Bryant becoming a serious threat from distance.
“I think he has a lot more to show and he’ll get into that,” Flagg said. “He’ll hit shots, he’ll do what he has to do. He’s a great player, so I know Carter’s going to keep doing better.”
By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News