The NBA media is learning what followers of Arizona men’s basketball have known for a while: Carter Bryant is a well-spoken and thoughtful 19-year-old. He’s also very confident in himself and his future in the NBA.
The Arizona forward held a media availability Wednesday at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago where he confirmed that he’s “officially declared for the draft,” in line with comments he made earlier in the day to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello.
While Bryant has yet to put out an official statement saying he won’t return to Arizona, his comments at the combine media availability Wednesday indicate that his mind is on the next level.
Here’s what Bryant had to say. A video of his media availability can be found at the bottom of the page.
On how he views himself developing as an NBA player: “I’m a guy that I see myself describing it as almost like a progression. Like early in the league I feel like I’m a guy that can guard multiple positions. Obviously, I want to be able to guard one through five. I feel like I’ve capable of guarding one through four now. Obviously I need to get a little bit stronger, but eventually I see myself being a guy that can guard all five positions on the floor.”
On which players he studies in the NBA: “I would say I watch a lot of Toumani Camara right now. Trey Murphy. I watch Herb Jones, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White. And I see myself becoming one of the stars in this league. So that’s something that I watch a lot of film on. Kyrie, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, as well. So I understand there’s a suggestion to get to that point, but knowing that I’m capable, knowing that as well.”
On his potential: “I know I’m capable of becoming one of the best players in this league, and it’s just something that you have to work towards every day.”
On how NIL has impacted his career: “I think it’s something that’s beautiful for the game. A lot of guys should have been paid before, a lot of guys that had a very large impact on the game of basketball, but I think it’s a beautiful thing. Being able to play a game you love and get paid at an earlier level, it’s something you don’t take for granted.”
On who he’s most excited to match up against: “Everybody. I would say D Book. I can’t wait to match up against him. Guys like Trey Murphy. Trey, that’s my guy. I would say Jayson Tatum when he gets back healthy. Kyrie Irving when he gets back healthy as well. There’s a lot of guys I can’t wait to match up with. I feel like this is a league that you get a great matchup every night, you get to play against the best players in the world. So I’m looking forward to playing against everybody.”
On underrated draft prospects: “I feel like there’s a few guys. I think Myles Byrd. Very underrated athlete. He has a knack for making shots, a knack defensively, getting in passing lanes, being able to make reads defensively. I think also Drake Powell. Drake Powell is a name that I think needs to be going around … He’s a great athlete, great basketball player, and he’s a good human being as well.”
On the interview process: “I think it’s a great experience. It’s such a unique experience. Not many people get the opportunity to be here. So first thing for me, I’m trying to soak it all in. Take advantage of the moment. Just appreciate every opportunity I get. It’s a great experience, being able to go in the room, answer questions. You know, being able to be yourself, be authentic, is a great experience.”
On the progress of his shooting: “As this year progressed, I spent a lot of time with TJ Benson, Rem Bakamus. They did a great job kind of speeding up my shot, allowing me to get my feet down. I think as the season progressed, I got a lot more comfortable on shooting off the move shots and off the dribble shots. I think we saw as the season progressed, I made a lot of big time shots, and I think that’s just a testament to my work and my coaching staff, and the belief that the coaches had on me as well.”
On his passing: “I would say outside of defense, passing is one of my favorite things on the floor. I think with myself, I try to get to spots where I’m one pass away from everything. And I think just simplifying the game allows me to do that. So not necessarily that I’m this spectacular passer, but I make the game so simple that reads are easy to make. You have to be able to make reads that are repeatable. So I think that’s what comes with being a great passer.”
On his favorite NBA player of all time and right now: “All time, I’m going to go Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady, and then right now I’m gonna go Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum and Kyrie. They all play with the simplicity of the game. All those guys I named off, I think Jayson Tatum, he really simplifies the game, gets to his mid range, gets to his bumps and sprays. He’s one of the most unstoppable players in the league. I mean he’s 6-10, probably about 240, so it’s hard to stop a guy when he has the will to just go finish up the rim and shoot over top. Obviously with Kobe, D Book and Kyrie, even Tracy McGrady, I feel like a lot of those dudes fall into the same tree in terms of being able to make difficult shots and make the game simple.”
On his college major and GPA: “I was undecided, but I was gonna go criminal justice going into my sophomore. … It was a 3.8.”
On returning to Arizona and declaring for the draft: “Yeah, I’ve officially declared for the draft.”
On teams he’s met with and his projected draft position: “I try not to worry about that. That’s something I try to allow my agency and the people around me to deal with. But . But I’ve met with the Dallas Mavericks today. I met with the Golden State Warriors, the Brooklyn Nets, the Portland Trail Blazers. I met with the Minnesota Timberwolves as well.”
On the challenges of facing Cooper Flagg: “I mean, he’s a great basketball player. I think many people obviously have seen that. He’s a guy that can finish with both hands. He’s a smart player, he makes some threes, so that’s why he’s so difficult to defend. And I think Duke did a great job of putting in actions to put you at a disadvantage as a defender. They put him in spots, whether that was the elbows, as a trailer at the top of the key, to where you had to be in help constantly. And as soon as the action hit, you had a decision to make. So guarding him was definitely tough.”
On why Arizona’s coaches wanted to speed up his shot: “For the consistency of it. I think getting your feet down is something that plays a large role into having a consistent shot. That power generates through your whole body. Speeding up my footwork allowed me to kind of get my legs and my feet underneath myself so I can have a fluid jump shot.”
On when his shot began to feel natural and the work that’s gone into it: “I feel like I’ve always had a natural feeling to shoot the ball, but the consistency came towards the middle of the season when conference play came around. It was something we were working on every day. I was coming in three times a day. The last workout of the day was all shot prep stuff. One of our managers at Arizona did a great job and props to him. I was coming in every night. He was coming in with me two hours. The first hour we weren’t touching the 3-point line. And then the second hour we were just getting to my rhythm stuff, allowing myself to make shots.”
On what interviews with teams have been like: “It’s been amazing. I’m a guy, I’m a kid that just dreamed to be in this position. So like, in my head, if you just told eight-year-old Carter that he would be in this position, he’s ecstatic. So I kind of just try to approach it with that same mindset. Try not to put too much stress and pressure on yourself. I’m not gonna act like I didn’t have any nerves. But the first meeting I went in, I remember like my voice felt kind of shaky almost, like, not a lack of confidence thing, but it’s almost like, wow, like you really here kid. This is the moment you’ve been dreaming of.”
On what meetings have been like: “It’s been a lot of everything. I mean, I’ve had teams where I’ve had to draw on a board and they wanted me to draw a play or two. I’ve had teams where they just ask me questions in a more serious manner. I’ve had more of a casual conversation with teams. And I’ve had teams where I watch pretty much straight film, and they wanted o kind of see my thought process going through plays.”
On getting to know teams: “Yeah, of course. You want to be surrounded by a good group of people and people that believe in you. As much as they’re learning about me. I’m learning about them, just taking my mental notes and things of that nature. Obviously, I don’t get to choose where I go, but just understanding that you remember people’s names and things of those sorts. It’s just things that are very important, because obviously the league is a … people move. People at the top of the organizations move along with players. So you just have to be able to present yourself well in front of others.”