Q. Which former Spurs players would you compare your game style to?
CARTER BRYANT: I think immediately the first guy I think of is Kawhi, just his defensive versatility, being able to guard multiple positions early on in his career. As you saw his progression, he became one of the best players in the world, arguably a top three basketball player at a time when Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and LeBron were pretty much solidified to be the top three. But he was really making a statement that he was one of the best players in the world as well.
Q. How do you see yourself fitting in with the San Antonio Spurs and who are you most excited to play next to?
CARTER BRYANT: I see myself, like I said, being a guy that can bring energy, toughness, physicality, somebody that is going to show up on a consistent basis and just work his ass off. In terms of that, I feel like that's what I bring.
I'm looking forward to playing with my guy D Harp. It's been a long time coming. We had a lot of conversations throughout high school, whether that was trying to play together in college, just maybe playing together at some point. For him to be my draft buddy and being able to both go in the lottery and being able to represent San Antonio is dope.
Q. What do you feel like you learned about the Spurs and what they're looking from you from the draft process, and with their history of developing players and where they are, what's the forward opportunity look like for you?
CARTER BRYANT: I think the first thing I immediately notice is top to bottom they're just run different. I think that's something you notice immediately with that organization. They're very clean. They get things done very quickly. They're very precise and they have intention behind everything they do.
I think the clear message I got behind everything is they're trying to get back to the top. Being able to win games at a high level and be able to compete for a championship. So that's the first thing that I really got from the whole staff.
Q. Something you mentioned yesterday is that basketball is kind of weird, like a constant striving for perfection. Joining a young team like the Spurs, how do you see that helping you as you guys are all learning this thing together?
CARTER BRYANT: I think the biggest thing is there's so many guys on this team, obviously myself and Dylan, but along with obviously Wemby and Steph Castle and D Fox and Harrison and all these guys, there's so much room for growth for this team. I think you're going to look up and we could definitely be one of those dynasties that you look back on and you go, man, this was a hell of a team.
Q. I'm wondering if you know how much this makes Sean Elliott's day having another Arizona Wildcat around.
CARTER BRYANT: Yeah.
Q. How did you and Dylan meet?
CARTER BRYANT: Oh, wow. Dylan and I actually met playing an AAU tournament. We played in New York Rens, and I'll never forget he was killing us. I was the biggest dude on our team, so Coach had me guarding the 5 man. I was like, Coach, I promise I can stop him. I remember he walked over to the bench and said, I promise you, you can't stop me.
It's kind of being a full-circle moment for us to be on the same team. I love that dude. He's a great dude, great family. His father has always been great to me. Always provided me with great -- I don't even know the word I was looking for, but along with his mother. Those are great people, great family.
Q. We talked yesterday about uplifting and highlighting the deaf community, with yourself knowing sign language and your mom being deaf. Now that you are a professional player officially, how do you see your role either changing or growing in terms of highlighting the deaf community, and do you see a lot of those people in the community who are NBA fans now being Spurs fans?
CARTER BRYANT: Definitely. I just want to bring more attention to whatever organization I was blessed to be drafted by. Obviously San Antonio just has a rich history of having a lot of intention behind everything they do. But I don't think my mentality toward it changes in terms of the deaf community. It's something that is always going to be important to me and always has been important to me.
I had my family, the Valencias, the Skupiaks, in the crowd. I saw them when I was going to do my interviews. I looked up and they were all up there signing "I love you." I'm more than grateful for them and everything they've taught me.
Q. I had a chance to talk to several players about playing next to Victor Wembanyama. What excites you most about playing with a guy with his skill set, his size, his range?
CARTER BRYANT: I'm going to just start out defensively because that's what I love to do. I feel like I can just be ultra aggressive. Obviously you've got to be smart, but just having the mental stability of knowing you kind of have a monster back there behind you that is going to deter everything from the front of the rim, it gives me an opportunity to just be an elite defender to push my limits, especially on the ball.
I think with that being the case, I'm just ready to be active and be able to contribute defensively immediately. Offensively, I like to use the word "gravity." He takes all the gravity in the room.
Him being that type of player, it's going to open up so many opportunities for myself, Dylan and so many guys on this roster for us to grow. I'm just looking forward to picking his brain.
Q. How much run are you going to give Dylan in the race for Rookie of the Year?
CARTER BRYANT: I mean, one of us is going to get it. So whether it's one or two or whoever gets it, it doesn't matter. I'm just trying to win basketball games at a high level.
Q. Not the most important thing in the entire world, but you did rock No. 9 in college. You can't rock 9 on the Spurs. It's retired by obviously the legend Tony Parker. What number are you going to rock?
CARTER BRYANT: I don't know. I've got to look at who has what numbers on the team. I don't know. That's a good question.
Q. Is there a number that stands out in your mind that might be meaningful to you?
CARTER BRYANT: I know Steph got 5. That's my dog. I'm not getting that off him. Does D Fox wear 4? Yeah, I can't get 4. Wemby got the 1. Dylan for sure is going to have 2, if nobody has 2. I'm going to have to figure something out.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports