DylanHarper

Preseason question: Is Harper already San Antonio’s second-best player? The Finals are, at best, a microscopic seven-game sample that nonetheless weighs heavily on how we evaluate players. As such, it’s hard to shake the notion that Harper has already leapfrogged his tri-guard brethren as the Spurs’ most impactful player outside of Wemby. The trajectory is almost unfathomable: Harper is still just 20 years old and, as a rookie, didn’t log at least 30 minutes in a game until the 80th match of San Antonio’s regular season. (Harper played at least 31 minutes in each of the final four Finals games against the Knicks, but even that spike in playing time wasn’t nearly enough.) Perhaps De’Aaron Fox will make a more credible case now that he isn’t playing on a sore ankle, and maybe Stephon Castle has worked through his ball-security issues. But even then, there is no matching Harper’s upside proposition, nor can Harper’s potentially elite self-creation be put back into the box. The Spurs’ dynastic blueprint has rested on the union of Wemby and Harper since the latter was selected no. 2 overall in 2025. Harper shined under the brightest lights as a rookie despite playing on training wheels for much of the season. Those wheels are off now. It’s staggering to consider what he might be capable of.