How Does Dylan Harper Fit on the San Antonio Spurs?

The San Antonio Spurs were the second biggest winners of the NBA Draft Lottery. They may not have won the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, but they received quite the consolation prize with the No. 2 overall pick. They'll likely weigh all their options, but former Rutgers guard has spent the majority of the draft cycle as the consensus second-overall prospect for his multi-faceted offensive potency. Not only could Harper potentially bring an intriguing backcourt fit next to 7-foot-4 center Victor Webanyama, but could also form an unguardable backcourt next to speedy guard De'Aaron Fox.

As a freshman, the 19-year-old Scarlet Knight lit up college basketball, averaging 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on an efficient 58.7 TS%. He found success by leveraging his positional size at 6-foot-5, advanced handle and driving craft, and soft touch to convert an incredible 57.4% of his 8.7 two-point attempts and earn 5.8 free throws per game. He complemented this downhill scoring ability with shrewd playmaking, especially in the pick-and-roll. This skillset would translate well next to Wembanyama in the two-man game and next to Fox as they are both dynamic, rim-pressuring guards. Both ball-handlers possess the ability to get to the basket without a screen or make plays in the pick-and-roll, which would create a challenging dynamic for opposing defenses as they have to deal with this backcourt alongside Wembanyama's unique scoring prowess. Further, Harper boasts defensive potential with his size, physicality, anticipation, and strong hands, which can alleviate some pressure off of Fox on this end of the floor.

Still, Harper isn't without flaws. His three-point shooting isn't bad by any means, but is very much a work in progress. The New Jersey native shot just 33.3% on 5.2 attempts per game from beyond the arc this season, off a mix of off-the-catch and tougher pull-up looks. Harper will certainly look to improve this weakness of his, as a reliable pull-up three-point would take his game to the next level. He has already found some of his greatest success without the three-point shot in the equation, shooting a total of just 2-for-9 across his two 35+ point games this year. If he's able to take the next step in this area, he will almost certainly be a star in the NBA, whether as the third such on the Spurs' roster or somewhere else.