While the Portland Trail Blazers should be second-guessing their Yang Hansen selection right about now, the San Antonio Spurs' decision to take Carter Bryant in the 2025 NBA Draft is looking just as questionable. Both players are 20 years old and could ultimately figure out how to make an impact at the NBA level. But early on, the returns haven't been great for either team.
Carter was frequently projected to be drafted by the Blazers with the No. 11 overall pick in mock drafts. He ultimately fell just three spots to the Spurs at No. 14. And while we are hesitant to criticize any decision the Spurs make, given their front office's reputation and an organization whose resume speaks for itself, there's an increased possibility they missed on this pick.
Blazers were right to pass on Carter Bryant
With their backcourt trio of De'Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle and a generation big man in Victor Wembanyama, the most significant question mark on San Antonio's roster is the forward positions. But Carter's rocky rookie season shows that it's not always in a team's best interest to prioritize positional need.
San Antonio suddenly finds themselves in the conversation as contenders and could've used a more immediate impact rookie to help address that roster weakness. Carter hasn't delivered, averaging just 2.1 points and 1.6 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game while shooting an inefficient 29.5% from the field and 24.4% from beyond the arc.
Between Bryant and Hansen, we're not sure whose career is off to a more concerning start, but neither team can be that surprised. It was always clear that Bryant was going to be more of a project, as his production as a freshman at Arizona didn't exactly scream lottery pick. But at the same time, Portland and San Antonio are left to wonder if they made the right decision as their rookies fall behind what has been an incredibly strong draft class, well beyond headliner Cooper Flagg.
The silver lining for both of these teams is that their futures are bright with a promising young core that is already established. That may be why they felt more comfortable taking on such projects. Not to mention San Antonio already landed a more surefire prospect in Harper with the second pick.
While the Blazers likely should've taken their draft in a direction other than Hansen, it's easy in retrospect to say who they should've taken instead after seeing how rookies' games have translated to the NBA halfway through the season. Portland could've had Cedric Coward or Derik Queen had they stood pat at 11. But Bryant was also right in the mix.
The fact that Carter is struggling in San Antonio should not only vindicate Portland's decision to pass on him but also serve as a reminder that the draft is never a guarantee, especially this late in the lottery.
At least Portland gained an additional first-round pick when they traded back with the Memphis Grizzlies to take a flier on Hansen.