The San Antonio Spurs have managed to get a good thing going with Victor Wembanyama, and the friendships and mentorships between De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper have clearly gone a long way.
If the San Antonio Spurs knew that they would be able to draft Dylan Harper second overall, do you think they would still have made the trade for De'Aaron Fox?
The backcourt is crowded, and while Fox has been the best player on the team without Victor Wembanyama, Harper is already better than expected. Is there a reason to keep both of them with Stephon Castle?
Some fans would be quick to say no, but the young Spurs appreciate having Fox in town, even if they have to compete for minutes. At the end of the day, the Spurs have long been the least selfish team in the NBA, and that culture contributes to shine through.
"It's very fun playing with guys that you know are going to play for each other no matter what," explained Harper. "There are no egos, and just being in this winning environment. Why would I want to get drafted anywhere else?"
Fox went from being the proimising young centerpiece in Sacramento to disgrunteld veteran, although he's moved to San Antonio ready to win and pass the torch to the next generation, who is increadibnly appricuiative of him.
"I think the biggest thing is no ego," praised Harper. "I think when we all came in, we all kind of connected right away. Obviously me and Steph a year apart, and Fox has just kind of embraced us. He might be older, stuff like that, but he's going to embrace us. He's going to help us out when we need help. He's also going to empower us when we need it. Just having a vet like him, an All-Star like him, who gives back to the game and just helps us out in so many ways. This shows his true leadership."
Fox was brought in as a win-now player to maximize Wembanyama's early years, and Castle and Harper are building blocks for the team to use moving forward, even if they're already capable of playing above their roles.
Both Harper and Fox are well aware of the age gap, and finding common interests may be a challenge. While they aren't playing StarCraft on team flights (anymore), they have all bonded over board games.
"You know, as a team, guys like to play board games," Fox revealed. "There are many different things that guys try to do something together and figure out ways to get together."
While Gregg Popovich may have taken a step away from coaching, his mantra of "togetherness" and "family" remains pillars of the Spurs, and it still pays dividends.