When the San Antonio Spurs drafted Dylan Harper second overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, they knew they'd get a great player, although he's exceeded expectations.
Is Dylan Harper the best player on the San Antonio Spurs? Is he quickly becoming the best Sixth Man in franchise history?
Of course not. Those are impossible bars to pass, although the rookie point guard is exceeding expectations, even in a smaller role than most fans expected him to be in.
He is yet to start an NBA game, although he is quickly becoming one of the best reserves in the entire league. In each of the Spurs' last two games, Harper has led the scoring charge. He has been able to get to the rim with ease and find his teammates on the perimeter, which was expected, although his 3-point shot has been falling at a very high rate.
As a result, Harper has only gotten more agressive from the perimter.
"I think shoot first, be aggressive later, and then if they close out hard enough, I'm just gonna drive the ball and try to get my teammates involved," he explained. "But past two games, I mean, it's just been a lot of preparation, and just when I go out there, I always tell myself, I'm gonna shoot the ball, I'm gonna shoot the ball, no second-guessing it."
Harper shot only 33.3% from deep in his lone college season. While he had some promise as an outside scorer, no one expected him to make eight of 12 over his last two games. He doesn't see himself slowing down.
"If we just keep shooting, shooting, shooting, focusing on the right things, I think that my shot is going to start getting more consistent," he warned.
The Spurs have enjoyed increased efficiency from Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox, and Harper. Of course, Castle and Fox are on the best roster they've ever had in the NBA, and the gravity of Victor Wembanyama and shooters like Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie help them get open looks.
While Castle and Fox's imporvement is impressive, Harper's is key to the Spurs' long-term success.
"I think Dylan's doing a great job of shot preparation and then he's shooting with confidence, and he's making some, which obviously is going to give him positive feedback on what he's doing," added head coach Mitch Johnson.
Harper was expected to be one of the better point guard prospects in recent memory, and as he unlocks a more complete game, the Spurs have three lead ball handlers who can all score with ease. It's not a bad surpolis to have.