Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle stepped up as franchise centerpieces in the Spurs' Game 3 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
In Game 3 of their first-round playoff matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers, almost all hope looked lost for the San Antonio Spurs.
Victor Wembanyama was out, De'Aaron Fox wasn't much of a factor, and they were down by 15 points midway through the third frame. Then, Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle, and Carter Bryant all got hot. Harper scored 27 points--a career-high--and Castle poured in 33 of his own, leading both teams.
Bryant, meanwhile, hit a big-time 3-pointer over Robert Williams III to start a run, and played fantastic defense on Deni Avdija down the stretch. Portland's lone All-Star finished with only 19 points and only three made field goals.
Heading into the game, Fox was expected to take over for the Spurs. Instead, he has now been surpassed by the Spurs' young core. A former player and legend in San Antonio took to social media to praise Castle and Harper, specifically.
Bruce Bowen Calls Out Young Spurs
It's kind of weird that Bowen neglected to name-drop Bryant in his post-game social media post, given that the Arizona product is the one who most closely resembles Bowen's game.
Still, Bowen, like Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Sean Elliott, and Manu Ginobili, keeps close ties to San Antonio. After all, the eight-time All-Defensive selection had bounced around the league plenty before the Spurs gave him a shot, cementing him as an all-time Spurs player with his number in the rafters.
Bowen was a key part of the Spurs dynasty, and he sees Castle and Harper as torchbearers alongside Wembanyama for the next generation.
Wembanyama's status for Game 4 on Sunday remains up in the air, although he did make the trip to Portland, so there is reason for fans to be optimistic.
If Fox fades again, it's hard to imagine Castle and Harper both replicating Friday's performance, although it's clear that the young duo is ahead of schedule, and the four-year maximum contract the Spurs offered Fox might be looked at as a mistake, now that he's proven that he isn't the playoff riser the Spurs were hoping he could be.
For now, Fox is still the starter, but the young stars in San Antonio are making a case for even more responsibility.