The San Antonio Spurs were three games away from their first title in more than a decade, and one of the players who got them there was Dylan Harper. The dynamic 6-foot-5 guard was San Antonio's sixth man last year as a rookie, but the expectation around the NBA is that he'll see a bump in minutes after what he showed in the playoffs. The Spurs are also reportedly already viewing him internally as the second-best player on the team behind Victor Wembanyama.
"The Spurs internally believe Dylan Harper is their second-best player," said ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "That's not a slight on De'Aaron Fox, that's not a slight on Stephon Castle. You talk to other front offices in the league, they say the same thing.
I mean, look, he's the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, of course he's a stud. And he only got better as the season went along." More news: Jaylen Brown Gushes Over 76ers Teammate VJ Edgecombe After Preseason Opener Harper, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 draft, earned first-team All-Rookie honors after averaging 11.8 points, 3.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per game during the regular season. He shot 50.5% from the field and 34.3% from three, and he did it all while coming off the bench, starting just four of 69 games.
Then he came alive in the playoffs and kept getting better as the postseason went on. By the time San Antonio reached the NBA Finals, he was averaging 18.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 31 minutes per game while shooting 49.3% from the field. He was the Spurs' second-leading scorer in the Finals behind Wembanyama and looked like one of the best players on the floor on either sideline, all at just 20 years old.
More news: Knicks Make Stance Clear on Karl-Anthony Towns’ $276 Million Extension More news: Damian Lillard Fires Back at Doubters With Strong Ja Morant Message Fox was the Spurs' starting point guard last season, but Harper proved he can take over ball-handling duties next to Castle. With how Fox struggled in the playoffs, particularly in the Finals, it wouldn't be surprising to see Harper supplant him as the starter. Harper, Castle and Wembanyama are this team's future, and they just took San Antonio to the Finals.
They're all still ascending, and if Harper is viewed as only a step behind Wemby, the rest of the league has real reason to be worried.
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