The San Antonio Spurs received a big shot in the arm when the second overall pick, Dylan Harper, returned to the lineup against the Portland Trail Blazers. His return came at the perfect time, with the Spurs having no one behind star De'Aaron Fox at point guard.
It also gives the two guards a chance to play together for the first time. That will be fascinating to watch, with many questioning how they will play alongside one another.
After all, neither are seen as prolific 3-point shooters. Then again, Fox has shot the ball surprisingly well this season from three, and Harper has too, hitting 35% from three thus far. That gives Fox the perfect chance to help Harper prove skeptics wrong.
De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper can coexist playing together
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With both players shooting the ball surprisingly well this season, Coach Mitch Johnson will experiment with playing Fox and Harper together. Especially with the absence of Stephon Castle.
That will allow us to see how they will fare sharing the court together. One obvious benefit is that that pairing could help the Spurs curb their turnover problem, with them coughing up the ball 16.5 times per game—the 11th most in the NBA.
That alone could help San Antonio juice their offense, with them already ranking fifth in the NBA in offensive rating. If they ever learned how to take care of the ball, this team could be absolutely gangbusters on offense.
Especially with the Spurs' recent trend of crashing the offensive glass and forcing turnovers. Against the Trail Blazers, in the first game that Fox and Harper played together, San Antonio took 13 more shots than Portland and won by 13. Even though they shot just 40.2% from the floor.
Ironically, with Victor Wembanyama and Castle out of the lineup, the Spurs have had four games with 10 or fewer turnovers. As a result, it's no surprise that they are 5-1 without them.
When at full strength, which should hopefully happen for the Spurs in the team's next five games, having two guards on the floor at all times will likely be the norm.
Dylan Harper's hot shooting unlocks plenty of possibilities
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[That means Harper coming off the bench](https://airalamo.com/cold-hard-dylan-harper-truth-san-antonio-spurs-immediately-face) and playing with either Fox or Castle. Castle, despite playing well prior to his injury, struggled with turnovers, increasing the need for another playmaker. What's so exciting about those lineups is that Harper was shooting a ridiculous 50.0% on catch-and-shoot threes before his injury.
That's obviously too good to be true, but going back to his season at Rutgers, he did shoot 37% on spot-up threes on roughly two attempts per game. That's to say that Harper has a track record of being a capable spot-up shooter.
And, if he is able to space the floor and hit open shots, then it would not only unlock his game and his potential but also ensure that the Spurs could make those two-guard lineups work. It would also keep the option open of the Spurs eventually using Fox, Harper, and Castle all at once, unleashing the much-discussed point guard trio.
Ultimately, Fox can help Harper quiet concerns about fit by showing that both can thrive playing with and without the ball in their hands. With both players having shot the ball well thus far, each should be able to remain an offensive threat while the other has the ball. That would possibly pave the way for a three-guard lineup featuring Fox, Harper, and Castle.