While Victor Wembanyama consistently dominates headlines for the Spurs, a new potential superstar is quietly emerging and stepping up his game in the playoffs.
Throughout the season, the rookie conversation primarily revolved around two prospects: Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel. These were the top draft picks who lived up to expectations for the Dallas Mavericks and the historic three-point shooter for the Charlotte Hornets, respectively. They were the clear frontrunners for the Rookie of the Year award, with 100 out of 101 voters selecting one of them as their first or second choice. VJ Edgecombe of the Philadelphia 76ers also received a vote for second place alongside Flagg and Knueppel.
Dylan Harper, on the other hand, received no votes and finished a distant fourth. While all his rookie rivals are watching the rest of the NBA playoffs from the sidelines, Harper, with the San Antonio Spurs, is just one win away from the Western Conference Finals. This remarkable achievement is largely due to him and his unique role.
No one in Texas is truly surprised by this. After all, Harper isn’t just any rookie; he was the second overall pick. However, his role was significantly smaller compared to other freshmen at the beginning of the season. Flagg had to lead a dysfunctional Mavericks team from day one, Knueppel was crucial to the Hornets’ surprising season with his shooting, and Edgecombe was part of the dynamic backcourt duo for the Sixers alongside Tyrese Maxey. They all consistently started, played over half an hour per game on average, and put up big numbers.
Harper did not. His selection in the draft raised cautious questions, as the Spurs already had the reigning Rookie of the Year, Stephon Castle, and De’Aaron Fox, acquired just the spring before, in their backcourt. Nevertheless, they drafted Harper, another guard, intended to learn behind the established players.
The 20-year-old came off the bench for the most part, with Head Coach Mitch Johnson giving him just over 22 minutes per game. His raw statistics – 11.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 3.9 APG – weren’t overly impressive at first glance. However, when scaled to the playing time of other rookies, his numbers leave a much, much stronger impression.
Alternatively, simply watching Harper play makes it clear why his teammate Carter Bryant is confident: «If he were playing for any other team in this league, he would be starting right now and probably have won the Rookie of the Year trophy.»
A Basketball Family and Mentor Ginobili: Harper Receives Help from All Sides
It’s easy to forget that Harper is a league newcomer. The point guard plays with incredible composure. Every situation seems to have been played out countless times before. He rarely makes impulsive decisions.
He also accepted his perceived minor role as a bench player without complaint. Harper, the son of NBA legend Ron Harper and basketball coach Maria Harper, who sends him tips after every game, has been a star on his teams since he was young. In college, as a freshman at Rutgers University, he averaged 20 points per game.
However, before the season, he had an important conversation with his mentor and another brilliant left-hander in Spurs history who prioritized team success over ego: Manu Ginobili. «We sat down and talked at the beginning of the season,» Harper recently shared. «Of course, I’ve taken on a role now that I haven’t experienced before. But he made it clear to me again that you have to influence the game in every possible way.»
Harper Shines in the Thrilling Series Against the Timberwolves
And Harper does just that. He has an incredibly good sense of what the Spurs need from him during his minutes. Defensively, he holds his own. Offensively, he can act as a playmaker and isn’t solely reliant on taking every shot. But when points are needed, he scores them himself.
The last duel between the Spurs and the Minnesota Timberwolves is a prime example. Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The series was tied, and after a previous loss and Victor Wembanyama’s ejection, the momentum had cautiously shifted back towards the Wolves.
San Antonio started the home game with great energy, building an early lead. However, the experienced Wolves didn’t give up and tied the game in the third quarter. Towards the end of the period, the Spurs started a decisive run, with Harper scoring six consecutive points.
First, he powerfully grabbed an offensive rebound and made an easy layup. On the next possession, Fox missed a three-pointer, but Harper snatched the potential rebound right from under opponent Mike Conley’s nose, attacked Julius Randle, and showcased his athleticism after the layup. After having to clean up his teammates’ missed shots earlier, he took his third layup himself, extending the lead to 89-73.
Even Wembanyama is Amazed: Harper’s Magic and Dunks
Around the basket, Harper seems to make every shot. And he can take any shot he wants. The youngster isn’t the most athletic guard, but he possesses good footwork, excellent change-of-pace moves, and strong ball-handling skills. Ayo Dosunmu of the Bulls got a close-up view of this in Game 5. Harper repeatedly dribbled at high speed behind his back while decelerating. The path to the basket opened up, and the dunk was powerful and loud!
Victor Wembanyama was AMAZED at Dylan Harper’s double behind the back into the one handed slam.
📺 Courtside Live on Peacock
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) May 13, 2026
Even Wemby couldn’t hide his astonishment, despite the «Alien» from France presumably being well aware of superhuman plays on the NBA court from his own experience. The Frenchman later raved about his teammate: «What impresses me the most is how he controls his body and how much body awareness he has. Whether driving, jumping, or having to reorient himself in the air. You see that in all situations. Not just on offense, but also on rebounds or steals.»
Not Normal for a Rookie: Harper Steps Up Most in the Biggest Moments
This is how Harper manages to more than meet the difficult challenge of being a rookie in the playoffs, even with higher intensity and tougher play, and even increase his impact. His lack of fear in big moments became evident early in his NBA career.
In the NBA Cup final against the New York Knicks, it wasn’t Wembanyama, Fox, or Castle who was the Spurs’ top scorer, but Harper. Until that close loss in mid-December, he had only made ten three-pointers. Against the Knicks, however, he confidently shot from distance. He hit five out of seven attempts and finished the game with 21 points. Throughout the rest of the season, Harper steadily improved his three-point shooting, finishing the regular season at 34.3% from beyond the arc. In the playoffs, he’s performing even better so far (38.1% 3FG on 2.1 attempts).
Consequently, it was not surprising that he picked the perfect moment for his best performance so far in the postseason. In Game 3 of the first round against the Portland Trail Blazers, Wemby was out with a concussion. Harper got half an hour of playing time and scored 27 points (9/12 FG, 4/5 3FG) in an away win to take a 2-1 series lead. He scored 22 points after halftime to turn the game around. At one point, he scored ten consecutive Spurs points in the final quarter.
On Legendary Footsteps: Will Wemby and Harper Form the Next Perfect Duo?
With his performance against the Blazers, he became the second youngest player in NBA history to score at least 20 points off the bench. Only Kobe Bryant was younger in 1997. NBA expert Bill Simmons (The Ringer) is reminded of the Lakers legend by Harper’s performances. «What Harper is doing is crazy. What he’s delivering reminds me of Kobe in his third or fourth year, when he would just come into the game and completely change its flow. He shouldn’t even be capable of that yet.»
But he is. Simmons went further and made a bold prediction regarding Wembanyama and Harper: «We saw it when the Celtics paired McHale with Bird. We saw it when the Lakers got Worthy after Magic. We witnessed it when the Bulls had Pippen alongside MJ. Teams like that become contenders faster than you think, and it’s realistic that Harper could become as good as these guys as a second option.»
The current Spurs are not yet a superteam, they haven’t won any titles yet, and Harper is still ‘just’ a bench player (albeit the best in the playoffs so far). All of that could change soon.
NBA. Dylan Harper’s Statistics for the 2025/2026 Season
| GP | MIN | PTS | FG% | 3FG% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | 69 | 22.6 | 11.8 | 50.5 | 34.3 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.4 |
| Playoffs | 10 | 25.1 | 13.6 | 54.9 | 38.1 | 5.1 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 1.4 |