After 23 days on ice, Dylan Harper returns vs. Blazers, giving De'Aaron Fox a much-needed backcourt weapon while Wemby, Castle and McLaughlin remain out.
The San Antonio Spurs did what they always do with young stars ... slow-play the timeline, protect the future, and only push the gas when the long-term picture is clear.
Now, after 23 days and 10 missed games, rookie point guard Dylan Harper is back in Mitch Johnson’s rotation, and San Antonio's backcourt just got a serious jolt.
Harper, who suffered a calf strain against the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 2, has been officially cleared ahead of Wednesday’s NBA Cup matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers. The San Antonio Express-News first reported the news.
"As a competitor, you never want to sit out and miss games," Harper said Wednesday in Portland. "Sometimes you’ve got to do things you don’t like. The long run is what we’re looking at."
It's a timely return. Victor Wembanyama (calf), Stephon Castle (hip) and Jordan McLaughlin (hamstring) are all still out, with Harrison Ingram remaining in Austin on his two-way deal. That left Johnson’s guard rotation thin ... until now.
"One person's status won't affect anybody else's," Johnson said. "We'd rather be too long than too short."
Harper flashed big-time upside before the injury, averaging 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists with fewer than two turnovers per game in his first six appearances.
His downhill burst has already drawn early Manu-lite whispers, and his swagger clearly hasn’t gone unnoticed in the locker room.
"We’ve seen great things from him," Wembanyama said. "It's actually been hard to believe how good he’s played."
Now, for the first time in a real game, Spurs fans will get to see Harper share the floor with De'Aaron Fox instead of just reading about those summer scrimmages. With Castle out, Harper steps right back into a significant role alongside Fox as San Antonio tries to navigate the NBA Cup group stage without its 7-4 centerpiece.
"They didn’t draft me just to draft me," Harper said. "Go out there, be yourself and everything will take care of itself. [Castle has] told me that. Fox has told me that. Everyone has told me that."
The Spurs have been playing the long game with their young core. Wednesday night in Portland is the next chapter ... and Dylan Harper is finally back in the story.