Spurs' Dylan Harper is Ahead of Schedule; He Got There By 'Being Himself'

Since being drafted, Harper has been expected to smoothly assimilate into a young backcourt. He, Stephon Castle and De'Aaron Fox hope to become a three-headed hydra. And the rookie said it himself: guarding all three of them, plus Victor Wembanyama, is hard to stop.

"There aren’t a lot of teams out there with (this) many guys who can handle the ball well," Fox concurred.

Harper is proving he might be hard to stop by his lonesome.

"It's one of his strengths, for sure," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "It's a hard thing to teach ... some of that uncanny ability to start, stop, change your speeds while making decisions and processing at a high level."

The rookie's bread-and-butter early on has been decelerating as he approaches the rim. At 6-foot-5, Harper has enough size to barrel past defenders, but often combines it with enough finesse to maintain control.

The lessons he's had with Manu Ginóbili have paid off.

"I'm just taking what the defense gives (me)," Harper said. "Having that IQ, knowing not to rush anything, letting the game come to me."

In Las Vegas, Harper showed glimpses of his offensive potential through three exhibition contests. A showdown with No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg fell in the Spurs' favor; Harper's defense helped seal the deal.

The rookie's offensive production will be seldom a concern in San Antonio. His tenable on-ball defense, meanwhile, comes as an added bonus that Johnson is ready to fully employ.

"I thought his defense was better than his offense," the coach said.

Harper's two goals entering the regular season were to prove himself as an able playmaker beyond downhill scoring and help generate wins.

Against the Brooklyn Nets — a game in which the rookie became the youngest player in NBA history to tally at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists with zero turnovers — the latter meant stepping up on defense. Harper still made sure to bring his own spin to it.

"They didn’t draft me just to draft me," Harper said of joining the Spurs. "‘Go out there, be yourself and everything will take care of itself.’ (Castle has) told me that. Fox has told me that. Everyone has told me that.”

When the Spurs gave up a 17-point lead at home, Harper responded with three makes at the rim and a kick-out assist to Wembanyama to keep the momentum in San Antonio's favor.

Like Castle a year ago, only his age keeps him young.

"He changed the game," Keldon Johnson said. "That's big time. Seeing that from a rookie ... the confidence, swagger he has. It's something special."

Johnson is part of the contingent fueling Harper's confidence. As the point guard adjusts to the speed and physicality of basketball's highest echelon, he'll need the guidance he can get. But it isn't his first rodeo, especially considering his father's professional experience.

"I've been around basketball since I was born," Harper said. "Growing up, hearing all the different things (about the NBA), plus the film — that helps."

Still, Harper's early success comes as a byproduct of Fox's absence. As far ahead of schedule as he is in terms of on-court development, Harper will have to relinquish a portion of the minutes he's become accustomed to in the first handful of contests to the veteran.

Neither he, nor Mitch Johnson, are apologetic of the circumstance.

"It's the hand you're dealt," Johnson said. "It's not uncommon (in) the league ... that's how much sharper you have to be in the things that you can control."

"We just (have to) keep going and going," Harper added.

The Spurs have a 3-0 start under their belt for the first time since the 2019-2020 season. Harper says they've shown the world what they're capable of, yet they can't get complacent with a full season ahead. But they can be honest.

Wembanyama was the most of all, when asked how his team managed to recover from a blown lead in the fourth quarter to remain unbeaten.

He named one specific, self-actualizing rookie: "Dylan."