San Antonio Spurs fans will have plenty of storylines to watch next season. Perhaps most intriguingly, the [](https://airalamo.com/san-antonio-spurs-deaaron-fox-statement-clears-up-dylan-harper-rumor-trade)[dynamic between De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harpe](https://airalamo.com/san-antonio-spurs-deaaron-fox-statement-clears-up-dylan-harper-rumor-trade)r. Harper has drawn comparisons to Fox, leading to concern of overlap, though Harper already has a leg up over Fox.
At this point in their careers, Harper probably is the better player, with him also being renowned for his basketball IQ, ability to get downhill, ability to put pressure on the rim, and ability to create for others. His mother being a former player and coach and his father obviously being a former NBA player have aided his development. Even his older brother, Ron Harper II, is an NBA player.
Historically, second-generation players turn into good NBA players at the very least, with many actually surpassing their fathers. Thus, it's possible that Harper has a huge advantage over many rookies as a result.
Dylan Harper already has a crucial edge over De'Aaron Fox
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Harper clearly knows how to play the game the right way, but his biggest swing skill will be his 3-point shooting. That is a big concern, especially for the Spurs, who project to have at least five non-shooters in their rotation next season.
Nevertheless, Harper may not be as much of a questionable shooter as many Spurs fans expect. In his sole season at Rutgers, Harper shot an encouraging 37% on spot-up threes on around two attempts per game.
That is a small sample size, but it's an encouraging one that suggests that he's a better shooter than his percentages might suggest. After all, he took plenty of pull-up threes in college but shot poorly on those attempts, which skewed his 3-point percentage.
Shooting ability may be what sets Dylan Harper and Fox apart
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If he can be at least a capable spot-up shooter in the NBA, then that dramatically improves his ceiling and the Spurs' chances of making a trio of Fox, Harper, and Stephon Castle work. Harper is key to that trio with his basketball IQ and skill set.
Castle has shown flashes of being a good shooter, but he is behind Harper in that area. Fox also wasn't a good shooter coming out of Kentucky; he's improved since then but is only a career 33% shooter. That's a low bar for Harper to clear and further leads to hope that he can eventually surpass Fox, even at Fox's best.
All In all, the Spurs drafting Harper and pairing him with Fox is the long-term goal. However, Harper already has the intangibles that Fox didn't have at this point in his career, suggesting that he has a higher ceiling and is potentially the Spurs' future at point guard.