SAN ANTONIO — Carter Bryant kept his same, quiet tone in one of the most bustling media environments he'd experienced as a player. This was his second time seeing it.

Twice in as many days during NBA Summer League 2026 in Las Vegas, the San Antonio Spurs forward stood in a hallway outside his locker room and answered questions while other players, coaches and scouts milled about. His voice hardly rose above the noise.

"Every night is not going to be your night," Bryant said. "I had four turnovers. I'm missing coverages defensively, I'm not being as intense defensively, I've just got to be better."

Less than a month removed from playing in the NBA Finals, the 20-year-old returned to Thomas & Mack Center with a larger role than the one he held during his rookie season. He still had rust to shake off, but San Antonio wanted him making decisions in a leadership role.

Bryant, who took his return to Summer League in stride, understood what was being asked.

"Being a guy that's not going to get a ton of minutes," he began, "but somebody who has to contribute at a high level when I'm on the floor ... I have to be in the best shape in the world."

That reality hasn't changed entering his second season. If anything, Bryant's path to minutes has become more complicated with the addition of Tobias Harris to a forward rotation that was already crowded before San Antonio signed the veteran.

Harris averaged 27.7 minutes per game last season with Detroit, nearly identical to Julian Champagnie's 27.6 and slightly above Harrison Barnes' 25.8. With all three forwards back in the fold, San Antonio will have to redistribute playing time somewhere.

Bryant averaged 11.5 minutes across 63 regular-season appearances as a rookie, posting 4.2 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 40.8 percent from the field and 33.5 percent from 3. By the postseason, however, his role had begun to evolve.

"His main calling card is going to be defense," Spurs assistant coach Corliss Williamson said.

The rookie became a defensive wildcard for Mitch Johnson, drawing assignments against Deni Avdija, Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during San Antonio's run to the NBA Finals. He also saw minutes as a small-ball center, giving the Spurs another way to utilize his 6-foot-7 frame and athleticism. Yet that avenue could become more difficult to find.

Luke Kornet remains the primary backup to Victor Wembanyama, while Tarris Reed Jr. and Jayden Quaintance give San Antonio additional size behind him once Quaintance is healthy. But if last season was any indication of how Bryant will adapt, he's on the right track.

"His drive to want to get better and learn more has been off the charts," Spurs forward Keldon Johnson said. "He's so locked in. He's taking notes. He's energetic, doing everything we ask him to do. It's been good to see C.B., (and) how far he's come this season."

Added Mitch Johnson: "Carter has been as coachable as anybody."

San Antonio already has a deep perimeter rotation featuring De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell, while Harris, Champagnie, Barnes and Keldon Johnson further crowd the wing and forward spots Bryant is most naturally suited to occupy.

For Bryant to expand his role in Mitch Johnson's rotation, his jumper could be the separator. His 33.5 percent mark from beyond the arc left room for improvement, but he made 49 of his 140 catch-and-shoot 3s during the regular season — good for 35 percent.

Those opportunities figure to remain central to his offensive role alongside San Antonio's primary creators, though Summer League allowed Bryant to work outside those confines. He handled the ball in pick-and-rolls, attacked off the dribble and worked as a playmaker.

San Antonio wasn't necessarily preparing him to become a primary initiator. It was giving him opportunities to develop skills that could make him harder to remove from the floor.

"We do expect his game to open up more," Williamson said. "He made some shots for us this season and we have confidence in his shooting ability. One area we'd like to see him do better at is attacking downhill, getting to the basket and finishing there."

The Spurs don't need Bryant to become a star next season, nor do they necessarily need him to become a starter. They need him to make Johnson's decisions difficult on a roster that could comfortably run 11 players deep throughout the regular season, with the understanding that any playoff rotation will be tighter than that.

"The biggest for me is just understanding that it's going to take time," Bryant said. "You don't know what the time frame looks like. You may not understand that something won't be in your time frame. I started the year getting a lot of DNPs. Probably once a week."

By June, those DNPs had become minutes in the NBA Finals.

Next season, Bryant will try to turn those minutes into something more permanent.