Nearly everyone in the sports world, from the players to the fans and analysts, is familiar with the phrase "prisoner of the moment," yet people still find themselves caught up in the now. The truth is that it's hard to stomach those emotions when you get excited about things.
The endorphins start flowing, and all of a sudden, you're claiming that Kon Knueppel would have been the better pick for the Spurs over Dylan Harper. Then reality sets in, and you realize that you were trippin' the whole time.
Any fans who saw Kevin O'Connor's recent tweet, suggesting San Antonio should have picked the former Blue Devil, were likely thinking the same thing I was while watching that game: "That was a ridiculous thing to say." The Spurs lost the game, but the second overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft put on a show.
Harper went number 2 in the draft for a reason
The star guard out of Rutgers was the best offensive player on the team. He led them in scoring with 20 points on 9/13 shots and 2/3 from deep. Dyl defended and commanded the game when he got his opportunities, taking the reins as the driving force of San Antonio's comeback when they got down double digits.
We knew this game was going to be tough. Charlotte has been playing the best basketball in January. They had the best offense, the fifth-best defense, and the best net rating by a significant margin. Most of their wins have been blowouts, so there's no shame in losing to them. We're on to the next on that front, and we'll see them when they come to the 210 on March 14.
The matter of the egregious takes we've been seeing since Knueppel had that explosive performance against Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks is the bigger concern right now. Those overreactionary takes were beginning to permeate social media, and it was maddening to see.
It was recency bias, plain and simple. The fact of the matter is that Kon has a higher usage rate because he gets to start on what has been a bad team up until this recent turnaround. It gives him more chances to show out, and because he is a very skilled player from a historically great draft class, it's easy to get swept up in the excitement.
But don't forget what a key difference there is between the two. Knueppel struggled in this game because the Spurs have good defenders and a good defensive system that can limit his strengths. There's not much he's going to be able to do about that throughout his career because he's lacking athletically.
Harper's only real problem is his shooting ability, and that can be developed. His quickness, strength, and savviness will allow him to beat just about anybody off the dribble. Your best hope is to play off of him because he's inconsistent from deep. When that improves, defenders will be hopeless.
I don't want this to come off like I'm ripping Knueppel because I'm not. I'm really high on him, and I do think he would have been a great fit for the Spurs, but he wasn't the better option. A few great games in January on a bottom-feeding team won't change that.