Live Scouting Arizona Signee Carter Bryant at the Tarkanian Classic

Carter Bryant was one of the standout performers of the 2023 Tarkanian Classic. The 6-foot-8 forward from Corona (CA) Centennial High is the No. 10 player in the 2024 On3 150 and the No. 3 small forward in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking. 

Bryant committed to Arizona in April of 2023. I sat court-side throughout the recent Tarkanian Classic and was able to watch multiple Carter Bryant games. The forward shot up recruiting rankings last high school season when he averaged 22.1 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per outing at Newport Beach (CA) Sage Hill High. 

Led by Bryant, the Corona (CA) Centennial High team finished 2-2 in this year’s event. With matchups against the likes of four-star forwards Tajh Ariza and Shon Abaev and five-star guard Bryson Tucker, I wanted to discuss Bryant’s game. Let’s dive into a scout of what I saw from Carter Bryant at the 2023 Tarkanian Classic.

The Physical Tools are Obvious

Carter Bryant walks onto the floor and you immediately see his physical tools. He stands every bit of 6-foot-8, and he might even be pushing 6-foot-9. He has long arms that swing down by his side set on a strong frame that is said to be around 225 pounds. 

When you look up a basketball player, or better yet, when you look up an NBA wing, that prototype looks very similar to Carter Bryant’s current build. In the basketball world, so much more goes into projecting a player’s long-term path than their physical traits, however, their size and their athleticism set a baseline for an archetype. Oftentimes, if a player does not have adequate size or athleticism, they simply are not prospects that project to the highest level. 

In watching Bryant play, you also notice his athleticism. Bryant has functional explosive pop, but it is a graceful burst. When he runs or jumps, he glides through the air, getting from point A to point B in a relatively effortless manner. 

The athleticism and the frame lead to a lot of the projection with Bryant. As his game continues to grow, the 6-foot-8 wing already carries natural aspects that you cannot teach. 

The Athleticism Leads to Defensive Upside

While seeing the physical nature of Carter Bryant’s frame, you cannot help but notice his defensive upside. Listed at 6-foot-8, Bryant brings versatility to the table on the defensive end of the floor. Even while still learning proper footwork and continuing to nail down correct rotations, Bryant is a factor on the defensive end.

In the Tarkanian Classic, the Corona (CA) Centennial team switched in the half-court between playing a two-three zone and man-to-man. In the two-three, Bryant played in the middle position on the back row. While protecting the rim, he was also asked to be the most mobile in this set, sliding his feet and rotating over to help. His versatility allowed him to protect the rim from the weak side while guarding on the block and sliding to switch. 

In man-to-man, his versatility enables to mind to wander with endless possible archetype outcomes. Bryant’s usual assignment was the other team’s best perimeter player. Oftentimes, he would pick up full court and slide his feet, turning his man multiple times when the ball was in their hands. In the half-court, Bryant had no problem flipping his hips to quickly change direction. More times than not, when an opponent would attempt to drive, Bryant would be able to cut them off before reaching the basket. 

When Centennial played a full-court-type defense, Bryant was placed at the top of the defense. He did a good job shading the primary ball-handler to one side of the floor. He did not attempt steals or play aggressively on the ball or in the passing lanes, simply moving his feet and forcing the ball toward his help.

Bryant also had multiple jaw-dropping blocked shots at the rim. He was not afraid to challenge a would-be dunker at the basket, risking getting dunked on to save two points (and momentum). In transition and the half-court, against athletic wings and bigger forwards, Bryant met would-be high risers at the rim to reject multiple dunks throughout the weekend. 

Looking at his strong and lengthy frame, his ability to open his hips and slide his feet, and the athletic burst that Bryant has, it is hard to not see the defensive upside that he brings to the table as he continues to progress and expand his game.

What is Bryant’s Offensive Game?

While Carter Bryant’s defensive upside is more defined than his offensive game, some baseline markers for Bryant lead to optimism on the offensive side of the ball. For starters, Bryant is comfortable shooting three-ball, where he is quickly becoming a threat. 

In watching him play, Bryant almost exclusively plays along the perimeter. He does not post up and he does very little flashing, off the ball, into the paint, or toward the rim. On most possessions, Bryant is at the wing, or the top of the key. Bryant is very comfortable shooting the ball off the catch, with very real range.

He has a high, soft, and consistent point-of-release no matter the range he is shooting from. Bryant also has good balance on his shot with an efficient shot load and solid footwork that leads to proper alignment from deep. They did not keep shooting stats during this event, so looking back to his play during the Nike EYBL Circuit regular season with Team Paul George, Bryant shot 41.2 percent on 2.1 attempts per game. To further back up the shooting touch, Bryant also shot 85.2 percent from the free-throw line. 

While the shooting aspect of Bryant’s offensive repertoire intrigues, he needs to continue working on making plays off the bounce. Bryant is comfortable with the ball in his hands in the open floor. He can push the break off a rebound, or change of possession, and get his team into sets when he is not pressured. 

In the half-court, Bryant plays more east-west than he does north-south. He does not often put pressure on the rim off the bounce. His handle needs to be developed, both with the confidence he has in it, and also in the counters as he gets his initial line of attack cut off. Currently, defenders are able to play up on Bryant, with the confidence he will not blow by them with the ball. Oftentimes, at the high school level, he is still able to shoot over players on the perimeter because of his height and length, but this is a piece of his game he will need to continue to develop. 

Also, he does not do much with the middle game. As I mentioned above, Bryant did not flash to the middle of the floor in the half-court much here and he did not attack the paint off the bounce, so I was not able to see much from the mid-range. With his touch, length, and athleticism, this could be an area where he shines. 

He does, however, quickly turn defense into offense, switching ends of the court quickly. Whether it is off the rebound or from creating a defensive stop, Bryant pushes the break with the ball in his hands and he fills the lanes aggressively with a purpose off the ball. Getting downhill in transition, Bryant has excellent balance with top-of-the-line explosion at the rim.

Offensively, Bryant’s game is still a work in progress, however, he shows some baseline tools that will translate as he continues to build around them. 

Carter Bryant in Summary

Simply stated, Carter Bryant has an excellent frame with physical tools and a projectable game. This combination leads to a wide range of potential archetype outcomes as you project his game moving forward. At the baseline of what we see with Bryant, he can defend multiple positions and knock down spot threes with consistency. At 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds, a defensive-minded floor-spacer is a valuable commodity at the highest levels of basketball. Especially the ones that carry prototypical size, length, and athleticism. 

Bryant’s ability to slide his feet and switch up and down a lineup is a skill that he can hang his hat on. As he continues to get older, you want to see him continue to develop the grit. Bryant is a naturally nice guy, can he consistently dig down and be mean on the court? 

Offensively, the shooting touch is there, along with the confidence and consistency in his shot. How does he develop around that to expand his overall arsenal? Will he be able to find his spots on the floor and evolve his ability to consistently get to those spots to produce? Figuring out how to gain an advantage off the bounce would go a long way in determining the success of Bryant’s long-term game. 

There is a somewhat high floor when looking at Bryant. As I mentioned before, the shooting and the defense provide a safe projection wrapped in a 6-foot-8 and 225-pound, highly-explosive frame. But even with that floor, there are some questions that need to be addressed at Arizona and beyond.