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In a renaissance season for the San Antonio Spurs, one of the team's most crucial pieces was also one of its newest.
Dylan Harper joined the Spurs after being a first-round selection and brought somewhat high expectations for his future offerings.
As a point guard, Harper had to split time with established veteran De'Aaron Fox throughout his debut season but made the most of his opportunity to prove himself at the next level.
Harper saw action on the court during 69 regular season games for the Spurs, with four starts sprinkled in for the rookie. In those matchups, he averaged nearly 12 points, four assists and three rebounds, while shooting over 50 percent from the field.
Despite an already strong regular season, Harper truly came into his element in San Antonio's remarkable run back to the NBA Finals. The first year guard was poised time and time again for the Spurs and looked like one of the team's most seasoned veterans instead of one of its most recent additions.
READ MORE: Spurs Grades: Luke Kornet Season Recap, Prediction For Next Year
Keeping in the trend of the regular season, Harper found himself entering the game for San Antonio on a regular occasion. The Spurs played 23 games in the playoffs and he made an appearance in all for over 300 total minutes.
That plethora of playing time resulted in an average of around 14 points, six rebounds and three assists in the biggest matchups of the season for San Antonio. When most other young players face growing pains in high-intensity situations, Harper found his next gear in these times.
While great things were expected from Harper being the No. 2-overall pick, not many could have expected him to become the arguable second-best member of the Spurs roster during a run to the Finals.
This breakout run raised a few questions, most notably what do the Spurs do with Harper in the starting lineup next season?
As previously mentioned, Fox and Harper served as a sort of tandem but head coach Mitch Johnson was always adamant that Fox would get the nod over Harper, as not only the veteran at the position but for the entire lineup.
However, Fox played less-than-ideally, to put it nicely, in some of the decisive moments of the Spurs postseason run, which left some feeling that Harper should take the reins.
Even fellow Spur Devin Vassell remarked that Harper was unhappy with the amount of time he was getting behind Fox.
READ MORE: Hiring Coach Billy Donovan Has Nothing To Do With Spurs Future
It is undoubtedly a great problem to have for San Antonio when there are two star-quality point guards at its disposal, however, it is also a delicate balance to keep both satisfied in pursuit of another deep run.
Regardless, it appears that Harper will not have to wait to be a key part of the Spurs' success and will rather continue to make an immediate impact in San Antonio.
FINAL GRADE: A, 2026 OUTLOOK: Potential/Probable Starter, Pivotal Core Piece
Continue reading...
Dylan Harper joined the Spurs after being a first-round selection and brought somewhat high expectations for his future offerings.
As a point guard, Harper had to split time with established veteran De'Aaron Fox throughout his debut season but made the most of his opportunity to prove himself at the next level.
Harper saw action on the court during 69 regular season games for the Spurs, with four starts sprinkled in for the rookie. In those matchups, he averaged nearly 12 points, four assists and three rebounds, while shooting over 50 percent from the field.
Despite an already strong regular season, Harper truly came into his element in San Antonio's remarkable run back to the NBA Finals. The first year guard was poised time and time again for the Spurs and looked like one of the team's most seasoned veterans instead of one of its most recent additions.
READ MORE: Spurs Grades: Luke Kornet Season Recap, Prediction For Next Year
Keeping in the trend of the regular season, Harper found himself entering the game for San Antonio on a regular occasion. The Spurs played 23 games in the playoffs and he made an appearance in all for over 300 total minutes.
That plethora of playing time resulted in an average of around 14 points, six rebounds and three assists in the biggest matchups of the season for San Antonio. When most other young players face growing pains in high-intensity situations, Harper found his next gear in these times.
While great things were expected from Harper being the No. 2-overall pick, not many could have expected him to become the arguable second-best member of the Spurs roster during a run to the Finals.
This breakout run raised a few questions, most notably what do the Spurs do with Harper in the starting lineup next season?
As previously mentioned, Fox and Harper served as a sort of tandem but head coach Mitch Johnson was always adamant that Fox would get the nod over Harper, as not only the veteran at the position but for the entire lineup.
However, Fox played less-than-ideally, to put it nicely, in some of the decisive moments of the Spurs postseason run, which left some feeling that Harper should take the reins.
Even fellow Spur Devin Vassell remarked that Harper was unhappy with the amount of time he was getting behind Fox.
READ MORE: Hiring Coach Billy Donovan Has Nothing To Do With Spurs Future
It is undoubtedly a great problem to have for San Antonio when there are two star-quality point guards at its disposal, however, it is also a delicate balance to keep both satisfied in pursuit of another deep run.
Regardless, it appears that Harper will not have to wait to be a key part of the Spurs' success and will rather continue to make an immediate impact in San Antonio.
FINAL GRADE: A, 2026 OUTLOOK: Potential/Probable Starter, Pivotal Core Piece
Continue reading...
