Around the Beat: Harper's Ceiling, Castle's Turnovers and a…

By the Spurs Nightly Desk · Monday, September 28

Camp coverage this week split between projection and confirmation: writers debated Dylan Harper's ceiling and Stephon Castle's turnovers while multiple outlets confirmed the same September signings already on the books. Victor Wembanyama, meanwhile, drew outside recognition that lines up with what he did on the floor last season.

Spurs Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

How split is the coverage on Dylan Harper's rookie season?

Air Alamo has run both sides of the same bet. Cal Durrett wrote the door is open for Harper to leap toward stardom, then in a separate piece warned the closing rotation could leave him out in the cold. Maxwell Ogden argued his jumper separates him from the competition, and Tyler Watts listed a Fox-versus-Harper camp battle among five to watch. Harper is a rookie guard with no NBA games played, so all of it is projection.

Is Stephon Castle's turnover issue a real concern?

Air Alamo's Cal Durrett has raised it twice, writing Castle must solve his turnover woes to unlock his star potential and, separately, that Castle could make or break the starting five. Last season he averaged 7.4 assists over 68 games as his role grew, which fits a young guard carrying more of the offense. Turnover totals themselves are not part of the record here, so the specific concern is Air Alamo's own reporting, not a confirmed number.

Does Tobias Harris have a real case to start over younger options?

Air Alamo's Tyler Watts wrote that Harris makes Mitch Johnson's starting decision easier by buying into the Spurs' program. Last season Harris played 63 games at 27.7 minutes, averaging 13.3 points on 36.8 percent shooting from three, numbers that support a steady, low-usage rotation piece rather than a marginal case.

Is the camp roster actually finished?

Hoops Rumors headlined it plainly: Spurs Sign RJ Davis, Set Camp Roster. RealGM's transaction log lists the same move alongside Elmore and Williams signing and Jayden Nunn getting waived, and KENS 5's Jeff Garcia posted the full camp roster the same day. That matches the club's own record of signings on September 24 and 25, so this one is confirmed, not just reported.

How does Victor Wembanyama rank against the rest of the league?

Pounding The Rock's Jeje Gomez noted that ESPN ranked Wembanyama the second-best player in the NBA entering the season. He averaged 25.0 points and 11.5 rebounds last season while anchoring a defense that finished third in the league, a full season of production that backs the ranking rather than a bet on projection.

The verdictThe Harper and Castle storylines are still outside opinion measured against a team that hasn't played a game. The roster and Wembanyama's standing are the parts of this week's coverage the record actually backs up.

Is R.J. Davis a lock for the regular-season roster?

He has signed and been included in what Hoops Rumors called the set camp roster, but exhibition games and final cuts still lie ahead before opening night.

Has Dylan Harper played in an NBA game yet?

No. He remains a rookie guard with no regular-season or preseason action logged, so all evaluations of his ceiling are projection.