Carter Bryant locks down Cooper Flagg, forces turnover early in NBA Summer League

The Spurs selected Bryant with the No. 14 overall pick in this year’s draft, joining a class headlined by No. 2 overall selection Dylan Harper – who’s also playing in Saturday’s game. A former McDonald’s All-American and four-star recruit, Bryant played in 37 games this past season at Arizona, averaging 6.5 points and 4.1 rebounds.

Bryant started the Spurs’ NBA Summer League opener earlier this week against the Philadelphia 76ers. He had five points to go with five rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal in the 111-70 victory.

Flagg, meanwhile, became the No. 1 overall pick in the draft following a huge season at Duke. He led the Blue Devils to the Final Four as he led the program in every major statistical category – averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks.

Cooper Flagg’s first game with the Mavericks brought out plenty of star power at the Thomas & Mack Center and became the fourth-most watched NBA Summer League game ever on ESPN, according to Sports Media Watch.

The former top-rated recruit had a solid showing, as well. He totaled 10 points to go with six rebounds, four assists and three steals in 31 minutes of action as the Mavericks held on for a thrilling victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. However, after the game, he made it clear he wasn’t very happy with his performance.

“Not up to my standard,” Flagg told ESPN’s Katie George after the game. “I’m going to regroup, I’ll be alright. You know, this new feeling, new environment, new teammates. But the guys held it down. … They had my back. I didn’t have my best game, but I’m just going to keep growing moving forward.”