The San Antonio Spurs have won seven games in a row, in large part thanks to some stellar play from Victor Wembanyama. Over the win streak, Wemby is averaging 32.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 4.3 blocked shots.
However, he’s not the only standout player in San Antonio. Guys like Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, Julian Champagnie, Keldon Johnson, and Devin Vassell have taken turns playing second fiddle. Even Harrison Barnes has gotten in on the action, averaging ten points on red-hot shooting in the last three games.
While Barnes has played consistently well, fans can’t help but wish that Mitch Johnson would give Carter Bryant some extended run. He hasn’t played outside of garbage time much at all this season, and there’s serious concern that he could go the way of Jeremy Sochan.
First-round pick Tarris Reed Jr. has been severely limited, too. While Barnes’ play has kept him in the rotation over Bryant, Luke Kornet has been putrid to start the season. Reed is deserving of an extended run, especially with the Spurs having a fairly easy schedule to start the season.
Johnson, though, has remained steadfast in his trust in the veterans, and doesn’t seem to be in a rush to let the youngsters have some freedom.
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Mitch Johnson Explains Decisions to Sit Bryant, Reed
There is rationale behind Johnson’s frustrating decisions. Especially recently, Barnes has been a great bench player, shooting 43.8 percent from 3-point range this season. On top of that, he does not make foolish mistakes.
Bryant, who has an incredibly high ceiling thanks to his athleticism and defensive prowess, is still learning the ropes. He’s prone to both fouls and turnovers, and there seems to be a lack of trust between coach and player.
The best way to overcome that would be to play him and let him make mistakes, especially when the Spurs rush out to double-digit leads early in games, although for now, Johnson wants to play it safe and pile up wins. He knows fully well what fans want, but he struggles to fit Bryant into an (admittedly) excellent rotation.
“We got a lot of guys,” summed up Johnson. “There’s not enough minutes to go around. So, you know, I just need him to keep doing what he’s doing, just continue to stay with the process. And there are times, unfortunately, when you’re on a really good team, and you’re a younger player, or you’re fighting to get in rotation. You can do everything right. That doesn’t mean you’re going to get what you want. And unfortunately, you know, I got to play the bad guy, and I’m not going to always be right, but I got to make tough decisions in regards to, you know, only 240 minutes. So if you can create some more, let me know.”
While Johnson was speaking directly about Bryant, the same can apply to Reed. In Reed’s case, though, it’s worth noting that the Spurs traded for him on draft night, at the expense of two second-round picks. As a first-rounder, Reed takes up a full roster spot this year. He’s an end-of-the-bench guy, sure, but one can’t help but feel that the Spurs would have been better off saving their assets.
That’s not to say that Reed wasn’t worth the investment; he’s shown great promise this season. However, San Antonio hasn’t held up its end of the bargain with either Reed or Bryant, and can’t expect them to magically get better or more consistent without real playing time.
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