Dylan Harper under immense pressure to maintain a Spurs trend

Dylan Harper has the fourth-best odds to win Rookie of the Year, and his failure to win the award would end a longstanding San Antonio Spurs trend.

Since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976, the Spurs have selected five times in the top-5 of the NBA Draft — David Robinson (No. 1 in 1987), Sean Elliot (No. 3 in 1989), Tim Duncan (No. 1 in 1997), Victor Wembanyama (No. 1 in 2023) and Stephon Castle (No. 4 in 2024). 

Four of those five players went on to win Rookie of the Year, and the only reason Elliot didn't win the award was because his rookie season coincided with Robinson's, who didn't join the team until the 1989-90 season due to naval service. Elliot made the All-Rookie First Team and would have won the award if not for his teammate.

Harper, selected No. 2 overall by the Spurs, faces a tall order to uphold the ROTY tradition. He isn't expected to start immediately due to a logjam in the Spurs' backcourt, which includes All-Star De'Aaron Fox, reigning Rookie of the Year, Castle, and a potentially returning Chris Paul. As such, he could spend most of the year coming off the bench, or possibly even getting assigned to the G League.

The point guard is still excited to grow with the Spurs' young core. 

"I think when you play with a bunch of great players, it just brings the best out of you," he told ESPN after being drafted. "They got a great young core over there. I'm just ready to get in there and make an impact anywhere I can with those guys."

In Harper, 19, Castle, 20, and Wemby, 21, the Spurs have three prodigious talents who can blossom in unison in the coming years. According to Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor, Fox could eventually be on the trading block to free up the backcourt logjam, paving the way for the young trio to flourish together.