Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle are two of the best young players in the NBA, although not everyone is convinced that they will be consistent All-NBA picks.
For the San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama is front and center. He's already one of the very best players in the NBA, and if he isn't the best, it's only a matter of time.
Behind him, the Spurs boast Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper as core pieces as well. Both are already solid NBA players who boast talent well beyond their years, and the pair is expected to be one of the league's best backcourts.
It wouldn't be out of the question to see all three starting in the All-Star Game soon, and all three earning some All-NBA praise. Harper, especially, is expected to blossom next season.
While fans are high on all three of them, Harper and Castle might be a bit more limited than we would like to admit.
Could Castle and Harper Be Overrated?
It sounds sacrilegious, I know.
Both players have shown high upside, although both still have some flaws in their game. Neither of them will ever be the Spurs' franchise player, and that might limit them as well.
Earlier this offseason, Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey predicted who the best players in the NBA would be in 2030. Wembanyama, of course, was easily number one.
Both Harper and Castle made the list, although their All-NBA projections by Spurs fans might have been a bit optimistic.
"Superstar upside likely depends on whether Castle develops a consistent jumper. And the good news for San Antonio Spurs fans is that he's already trending that way," Bailey wrote, putting Castle in the 27th slot. "There's far from a guarantee that trend will continue, but if it does, Castle could start contending for All-NBA nods before we get to the end of the four-year period in question."
The 27th-best player in the NBA is usually an All-Star, but not a franchise cornerstone. There's a case to be made that 27th is about where Castle is right now, although guys like Cooper Flagg, Caleb Wilson, and Carlos Boozer will eventually pass him.
Harper's projection is more optomstic, although he seems a bit held back.
"There were prolonged stretches of the NBA Finals in which 20-year-old Dylan Harper looked like the best player on the San Antonio Spurs," he said of Harper, who came in 15th. "He already has the steely nerves of a 10-year vet. He's a patient, smart creator. His finishing around the rim is shockingly good for a player his age. And he's already a reliable perimeter defender. Considering the fact that he's just at the start of his developmental curve, having him 15th on this list might actually be a little conservative."
If the Spurs can have two top-ten players and Castle hovering in the top 30, it's safe to say that they'll run the NBA for the next decade. And looking at their potential, that seems like the most likely outcome.
