Most second-overall picks are quickly established as franchise players, or at least enter the starting lineup. Dylan Harper has not been given those chances with the San Antonio Spurs.
The San Antonio Spurs boast one of the best young cores in the NBA, and their talent has caused them to buck the norm.
Victor Wembanyama is one of the most clear-cut franchise players in the NBA, rivaling even Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. With De'Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, Luke Kornet, Julian Champagnie, and Keldon Johnson, the Spurs have done a marvelous job of surrounding their superstar with high-level talent. Perhaps no two players are better examples of that than Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper.
Castle and Harper were picked fourth and second in their respective draft classes, and had one key job assigned to them: get Wemby the ball and make life easy for him.
Most top picks are handed the keys to the offense, if not the franchise. Instead, the two young guards have settled into a more supportive role.
Spurs Aren't Maximizing Dylan Harper
This season, Harper is averaging 11.2 points and 3.8 assists per game, and has yet to make his first career start.
Other rookies, like Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and VJ Edgecombe, are emerging as franchise staples.
In San Antonio, there's growing belief that Harper will eventually be the second or third option behind Wembanyama, but for now, the Spurs simply have more talented players in front of him.
"He has been a helpful part of a San Antonio team that has arguably the most enviable guard depth in the league," wrote The Athletic's Law Murray. "Harper isn’t in a position to shine while sharing the ball with starters Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, and Stephon Castle, and Harper has to iron out his jumper. But he is an assignment-sound rookie."
One can easily argue that the Spurs are doing Harper a favor by keeping him on the bench. He's playing a sizeable role in the offense and is a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, and is actually impacting winning on a team with title hopes. However, the pressures that come with being the lead ball-handler without any real NBA experience aren't mounting, as Mitch Johnson can either pair him with a more seasoned player or pull him if things get dire.
From Harper's standpoint, would he rather be running the offense on a rudderless team like the Dallas Mavericks or New Orleans Pelicans, or come off the bench and possibly play in the Finals before he can buy a beer?
For real competitors, that's an easy question to answer.