San Antonio Spurs fans know that Dylan Harper is among the most crucial members of this team's new young core. Harper is hugely talented and is [a star in the making](https://airalamo.com/slow-rise-dylan-harper-could-define-spurs-next-era). If he follows the right model his breakout could easily happen sooner rather than later, and I believe the player whose blueprint he should be trying to follow is Cade Cunningham.
Harper has begun his NBA career already possessing a high level of physicality, ball handling ability, and a strong IQ as well. All throughout his college career, he demonstrated strong ability as a scorer, navigating pick-and-rolls to perfection, handling doubles, and making reads under pressure to perfection. Even despite the fact that the Spurs already employed Victor Wembanyama, Dylan arrived in San Antonio with a considerable amount of hype.
Cunningham's situation in Detroit was not all that different. Though he didn't have a superstar teammate the likes of Victor coming in, Cade did enter the NBA with similar traits as Harper. Both began their professional careers with elements of size, versatility, playmaking chops, and the kind of physicality that allowed them to impact the game in multiple ways as a scoring guard.
Dylan Harper should follow Cunningham's developmental approach
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As was the case with Cunningham, some of the most frequent criticisms of Dylan are that he has to sharpen his jumper a bit as well as refine his decision making. Doing those things over the course of multiple seasons were what led Cade to becoming an All-NBA selection and All-Star this past season. If Harper can follow this same model and evolve from a mega-athletic creator into a more consistent two-way star who can do all the big things at a high level, the Spurs will unquestionably have another foundational pillar alongside Wembanyama.
It's clear that what few weaknesses Harper has right now are the kind that are correctable. Over the course of the next several months to years, getting in the gym and following the same model of improvement that Cade Cunningham used to refine his game will benefit him a lot in the long run. Improving his off-ball movement, comfortability catching and shooting the ball and defensive focus will help Dylan reach a new level.
We have to remember that as impressive as Harper has been already, the Spurs clearly drafted him not just for [the player that he is today](https://airalamo.com/victor-wembanyama-says-quiet-part-out-loud-about-dylan-harper-skill), but for who he can be down the road. Dylan already has the physical tools, and now the name of the game is just going to be committing to refinement and consistency in much of the same way that Cade Cunningham did with the Pistons.