If the San Antonio Spurs hold onto the second overall pick, they are expected to draft Rutgers standout Dylan Harper in the 2025 NBA Draft. Widely believed to be the second-best player behind only Cooper Flagg, Harper would be a long-term running mate for Victor Wembanyama.
However, the Spurs already have a crowded backcourt, and superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo are reportedly on the trade market.
Still, if Harper lands in San Antonio, he isn't worried about how he will fit because he knows that he can make his teammates better.
He recently gave his NBA comparisons, whom he models himself after.
"It’s probably big guards like Cade Cunningham, James Harden, or Shai," he said at the Draft Combine. "Just big guards who know how to control the game, control the pace, and just know when they need to score, when they don’t need to score. Then they know when they need to give someone a touch, they ain’t touch it. The most important thing that I like about all of them is that they make the team around them a lot better.”
All three players were All-Stars this season, so Harper clearly has big shoes to fill. Granted, his playmaking is a big reason why teammate Ace Bailey is expected to be a top-five pick, so he already has a track record of making those around him better.
Harper has tried to avoid comparisons to his father, Ron, the five-time champion who played next to Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal. Dylan seems to be a better scorer and ball handler, although his outside shot (he went 33.3 percent in college) could be the thing that holds him back.
If he can become a reliable shooter, then the Spurs can figure everything else out later and run with a three-man backcourt of De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Harper.
After all, if he lives up to his lofty comparisons, he will be a foundational piece for the Spurs next to Wembanyama.
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