San Antonio Spurs' second overall pick, Dylan Harper, appears ready for the grind. Harper has already stated that he is fine starting his career coming off the bench ala James Harden, which is great news for the Spurs, considering he will do just that.
"Everyone got to wait for their turn. That's how I kind of look at it," - Dylan Harper
Spurs rookie Dylan Harper talks about waiting for his turn in the league, talks James Harden.... #nba #porvida #sanantonio #gospursgo (via 7pminbrooklyn) pic.twitter.com/zgimsZXCue
— JeffGSpursKENS5 (@JeffGSpursZone) August 20, 2025
He is currently behind De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle in the backcourt but could still play a big role as a rookie as a third guard. Figuring out how to best maximize all three players will be tricky, but not impossible.
He will likely play some at both backup point guard and backup shooting guard and average around 20 minutes. Harper will also fill in for both Fox and Castle when they miss time, giving him time to show and prove. That could come sooner than expected, with Fox expected to miss the first few games of the season. That could give Harper an early chance to start.
Dylan Harper will have an early chance to prove doubters wrong
Despite him having sky-high potential, only one "expert" picked Harper to be the best player from this year's draft class in five years.
The so-called experts not having Harper as the best player in this year's draft class may be factoring in Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg. That's fair, though Harper might be the best point guard prospect of the last 5 years.
That's saying a lot considering how many talented point guards there have been coming out of college. To be clear, he still has plenty of work to do on his game, but his basketball IQ and intangibles are hard to ignore. He's 6'5" in shoes and is terrific at attacking the basket, creating for himself and others.
And in today's spacing-obsessed NBA, having a big guard who can get downhill and put pressure on the rim nearly every possession is a luxury, especially when paired with a center such as Victor Wembanyama.
Playing with Victor Wembanyama could unlock Harper's game
Playing alongside a center who can knock down threes from the top of the arc could make Harper all the more deadly as a pick-and-roll point guard. Teams wouldn't be able to trap him, with the opposing center having to sprint back and try to contest a deep three from Wembanyama.
Also, Harper displays plenty of craft getting to the rim, where his size should make him an above-average finisher. That would make it difficult for big men to keep him out of the paint.
While Flagg is a safe choice to be the best player from his draft class in five years, Harper is on a much better team now. The Spurs also have a much better outlook over the next 5 years than the Mavericks do.
That's considering they won't be able to add another lottery pick to pair with Flagg during that span. While they could always look towards free agency to find a co-star for Flagg, the Spurs already have a superstar in Wembanyama and a star in Fox.
They even have Castle, who could emerge as a star in his own right. Harper will have to figure out how to coexist playing alongside other talented point guards, but he has the talent to be able to do so. Even if one of them doesn't work out, San Antonio will still have Harper to build around Wembanyama, and that is the perfect scenario for the Spurs.
All told, Harper will have work to do to prove doubters wrong, especially with him starting his career off the bench. However, the talent is definitely there for Harper to quickly emerge as a star.