Dylan Harper's First Step Toward a Bigger Role

By the Spurs Nightly Desk · Saturday, October 10

Dylan Harper closed his rookie year as a plus-efficiency scorer who played under 23 minutes a night, then set a career high with 25 points in a game last season. Fox's absence pushed him into the starting five for San Antonio's preseason opener, and the sample so far says he is ready for more minutes.

Dylan Harper of the Spurs — Dylan Harper. Photo: Petsbikes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

What did Harper actually do as a rookie last season?

Harper played 69 games at 22.6 minutes, averaging 11.8 points, 3.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds on 50.5 percent shooting and 34.3 percent from three. His turnover rate stayed low at 1.4 a game, and his 75.6 percent at the line showed touch beyond a standard combo guard's. The volume was modest; the efficiency was not.

How good were his advanced numbers for a rookie?

Harper posted a 116.9 offensive rating and a 9.5 net rating, both strong marks for a 20-year-old working a 21.1 percent usage rate. His true shooting sat at 57.4 percent and his assist rate at 24.6 percent, numbers that read like a secondary ball handler already, not a project learning the position. The defensive rating, 107.4, held up too.

Why did he start over Castle against the Hawks?

With De'Aaron Fox held out, San Antonio moved Harper into the starting five for the preseason opener against the Hawks, and he scored 16 points in the loss. The Athletic wrote that Harper looked ready for the promotion after the move. Air Alamo called it a glimpse of a Harper-Castle backcourt.

Does Castle have to give up the ball for Harper to grow?

Air Alamo argued that Stephon Castle's ball-handling role has to shrink for Harper's leap to happen. Harper's own assist rate last season, 24.6 percent, says he can run offense without Castle initiating every possession. San Antonio has not said how it will split that job once Fox returns.

What does his contract tell us about the plan for him?

Harper is already locked in at $13.0 million this season, $13.6 million next and $17.2 million in 2028-29, rookie-scale money that leaves room to grow into a bigger role without a renegotiation. He is not on the injury report heading into Phoenix. The money matches the usage San Antonio is already giving him.

The verdictHarper's rookie efficiency was never the question; the minutes were. A starting nod with Fox out and a career-high scoring night last season both say he is ready to hold a bigger job the moment San Antonio hands him one.

Is Dylan Harper starting for the Spurs?

He started San Antonio's preseason opener against the Hawks with De'Aaron Fox out, scoring 16 points. Whether that holds once Fox returns has not been decided.

What were Dylan Harper's rookie stats last season?

He averaged 11.8 points, 3.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 22.6 minutes a game, shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from three.