On Thursday, Dylan Harper started in the San Antonio Spurs‘ first preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks.
Harper was named starter alongside De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama. Fox was a late scratch and was replaced by Julian Champagnie.
The second-year guard looked great, finishing with 16 points, four rebounds and four assists in 19 minutes. However, the Spurs fell short versus the Hawks, losing 123-116.
Dylan Harper Sends Message to the Rest of the NBA
Speaking to reporters in his postgame media availability, Dylan Harper felt confident about the San Antonio Spurs’ offense heading into the new season.
Harper also seemingly delivered a warning to the rest of the NBA, explaining how the Spurs will be hard to stop, especially with him, Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox running the show with Victor Wembanyama.
“We’re going to be really hard to guard,” Harper said via HoopsHype. “When me and Steph get downhill, Victor has the same abilities. So I mean, I think all three of us is going to be hard to guard and there’s going to be a whole lot of mismatches on the floor.”
“And just playing with each other and we’re all unselfish and we all understand where we’re going to get our shots from,” he added. “We understand what we all have to do to win. So I mean, it’s going to be great.”
The Spurs are coming off their first NBA Finals appearance since 2014. They came up short against the New York Knicks, but they are expected to contend again this season.
Wembanyama is an MVP candidate, though Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson will have to navigate a strong guard rotation with Harper, Castle and Fox.
Spurs Have a Good Problem on Their Hands
The San Antonio Spurs were urged by fans online to trade De’Aaron Fox after his abysmal NBA Finals performance. Fox is not expected to be moved anytime soon, mainly due to his massive contract.
The Spurs have a good problem on their hands, especially after what Dylan Harper showed in his first preseason game. Harper looked more comfortable shooting the basketball, which is a scary thought for opposing teams.
Jared Weiss of The Atheletic believes the Spurs will be experimenting with their starting lineups throughout the preseason, but he argued that Harper is ready for the limelight.
“The 20-year-old already looks good enough to command starter minutes and to close games,” Weiss wrote. “He has been saying throughout training camp he is willing to take whatever role he’s given, but this is the role he wants and has the talent to fulfill.”
The Spurs are back in action on Saturday against the Phoenix Suns.
San Antonio Spurs Star Dylan Harper Sends Warning to Entire NBA