Player The restricted-age video store section of Dylan Harper

[scott]

With the season fast approaching, it's time we get our cache of player threads re-instated.

Was thinking about this... we have one of the best #2 overall pick prospects in years, who would have been the #1 pick in a handful of recent drafts (I think he probably goes #1 in 2017, 2018, 2020, maybe 2022 and 2024), and it feels like he's kind of going under the radar?

This is largely a function of where our team is at. He would have been THE thing to look forward to this season if not for having Victor, getting Fox, and how having playoff expectations. Goes to show how our team is progressing from the darkest era in this franchise's history.

What are we thinking out of Dylan this season? I don't think a third ROTY in a row is in the cards for us, but I am excited for some high level basketball from him and I think we'll see more Fox/Harper/Castle/Shooter/Wemby lineups than we are giving credit for. I think that 3 headed downhill monster is our future.

 

[LeBowen]

I'm sure he'll eventually put up all-star level numbers, what we need from him in his rookie year is to play like a veteran.
Sounds strange, but while Castle did show a lot of potential last season after he got the ball and put up numbers, he was also erratic, inefficent and turned the ball over way too much.
Not to be taken against him because we were tanking and he was testing his limits.
But this season we have to make the playoffs and we need 48 minutes of high IQ ballhandling.
Fox will do his thing in 30-36 minutes he plays depending on the situation any given night, but we need those non-Fox minutes to also be productive, much like we needed Kornet to keep our team functional on the other end when Wemby sits.

Tre had a lot of impact even though he was undersized and couldn't shoot because he's a smart player and he knew how to run the team, keep everyone engaged.
I want to see the same from Harper.

As for putting up numbers, it's going to depend on the spacing around him. If he gets the short end of the stick and ends up playing a lot of minutes with Jeremy/Keldon/Devin, I expect a lot of posts about how friendship crew is suffocating his development.
Obviously his 3pt shot will decide if he'll be able to close games out together with Fox and/or Castle.
Size wise Fox/Harper/Castle can work against most teams, but spacing wise it absolutely can't until Harper and Castle show 3pt improvements.

Hopefully Manu can teach Harper some of his lefty magic tricks.

 

[scott]

Interesting you bring up Castle... I felt like there was a lot more buzz about Castle entering last season than there is about Harper this season. Again, I think that's just a matter of expectations for the team entering the season. Whereas we definitely "earned" the #4 pick when we drafted Steph, we were "gifted" #2 to get Harper, so I think that plays into as well.

 

[The_Second_Coming_of_VY65]

10/10 thread title

 

[The_Second_Coming_of_VY65]

As far as hype goes, I think its a function of 1) Flagg getting bandied about as a *generational* talent (whatever the fuck that means nowadays); 2) Wemby being considered a top-5 talent (which is taking much of the oxygen out of the room); 3) other "interesting" teams with high draft picks (e.g., Philly/VJ); 4) other SA guards taking up oxygen/his own injury taking him out of the preseason/him not getting much run during the summer; and 5) general lack of interest in SA/focus on other larger markets (Kawhisperation, KD/Hou, Lebron, etc...).

My completely, absolutely, and unfounded opinion is that Harper isn't going to be that great. I don't know what it is, but he doesn't strike me as a player who will be better than Castle. Again, this is the most ignorant opinion I have, but something just says he won't live up to what mediocre-amounts of hype he currently has. Part of that feeling is that I haven't really seen anything to make me excited about him - and his redundancy with Steph and Fox really dampens te benefit he'll provide. Again, this is a totally uninformed "gut" feeling and I 100% hope I'm wrong.

 

[Exstatic]

I think Harper will be really good, but not as quickly as Castle, because we won’t need him to be. He’ll likely pop in year 3 or 4.

 

[RC_Drunkford]

I just hope he's a great back up PG at this point. Just straight up run the show when Fox is on the bench and look to score and facilitate. I think he could average like 12-15 PPG

 

[TDomination]

I really don't have any real expectations for him.
He's young and its his first year.
I want to see his effort, his play off the ball and of course his defense.

 

[dn0774]

Interesting you bring up Castle... I felt like there was a lot more buzz about Castle entering last season than there is about Harper this season. Again, I think that's just a matter of expectations for the team entering the season. Whereas we definitely "earned" the #4 pick when we drafted Steph, we were "gifted" #2 to get Harper, so I think that plays into as well.

It is interesting considering Dylan is objectively the stronger overall prospect compared to Steph coming out of college. I think the thumb thing a few weeks ago kind of tempered the hype for the time being which I am fine with. There are a lot of specific things to watch for this year as a Spurs fan which kind of divides our attention: Wemby return, Fox being integrated, Castle year 2, even Carter Bryant and Sochan's extension watch to a lesser extent.

I think his college production shows Dylan is ready to contribute in a meaningful way this year. I agree that RotY won't be in the cards for him unless something crazy happens and he pops like we couldn't imagine (McCain was kind of doing that last year relative to draft position before his unfortunate injury). Flagg/VJ Edgecombe/Tre Johnson/Ace Bailey are all expected to get way more minutes and usage than our guy. I'd say Flagg takes it fairly easily, but an injury could happen that could open the field up.

 

[poopbox]

Needs to be force fed minutes and be the "first guard off the bench" from day 1. Unless he is on the floor with Fox he need's to be the primary ball handler. He also needs to play with Wemby A LOT because realistically the future of the San Antonio Spurs is going to be their no 1 pick generational center and their number 2 pick point guard who would have gone number 1 in lot's of other drafts. I don't really care about what his production is or isn't I just need the Spurs to not overthink it and try to get to cute. You force feed the number 2 picks minutes no matter what the situation is and that is what the spurs need to do with Harper.

 

[John B]

Needs to be force fed minutes and be the "first guard off the bench" from day 1. Unless he is on the floor with Fox he need's to be the primary ball handler. He also needs to play with Wemby A LOT because realistically the future of the San Antonio Spurs is going to be their no 1 pick generational center and their number 2 pick point guard who would have gone number 1 in lot's of other drafts. I don't really care about what his production is or isn't I just need the Spurs to not overthink it and try to get to cute. You force feed the number 2 picks minutes no matter what the situation is and that is what the spurs need to do with Harper.

I agree to a degree. But it’s frustrating that the Coach didn’t do that for Castle for the most part of last season. The team is also is also bent on getting into the playoffs after a long drought and especially to please Wemby. I think Harper really needs to shine as the backup PG having maturity to command the 2nd unit without losing a beat, and demonstrates his finishing. Pop would’ve loved that 3-guard offense with plenty of ball movement. But it’s Mitch who’s the HC now. TBH he has yet to put his own mark on the team, so that’s another unknown

 

[Paramore]

 

[Paramore]

 

[sKiN20]

I think harper will request a trade due to lack of playing time or spurs will trade either one one of fox,castle, harper sooner than later.

 

[LeBowen]

I think harper will request a trade due to lack of playing time or spurs will trade either one one of fox,castle, harper sooner than later.

And here was I thinking that you left your bad takes at spurstalk.

 

[Sugus]

I think harper will request a trade due to lack of playing time or spurs will trade either one one of fox,castle, harper sooner than later.

Has there ever been a rookie that requested a trade before even their rookie contract ended? That'd be some 'big balls move' closest I can think of is the Kobe types, but that's a draft-day thing, not a demand after getting onto the team.

 

[sKiN20]

Has there ever been a rookie that requested a trade before even their rookie contract ended? That'd be some 'big balls move' closest I can think of is the Kobe types, but that's a draft-day thing, not a demand after getting onto the team.

In not saying this season.

 

[koriwhat]

10/10 thread title

11/10

 

[koriwhat]

I can see a similar situation to kawhi considering who dylan's father is. I hope I'm wrong and dylan pans out as our future starting pg when fox's contract is up in a few yrs time.

 

[drpill]

Ron's a terminally-online loudmouth but I don't think he's a snake in the grass like Uncle Dennis. He was pouring some water on the Dylan to the Spurs talk before the draft but I don't think he's been an issue since. Dylan also seems much closer to his mom and doesn't mention his dad much as a big influence in his life. I'm not worried.

 

[RC_Drunkford]

I can see a similar situation to kawhi considering who dylan's father is. I hope I'm wrong and dylan pans out as our future starting pg when fox's contract is up in a few yrs time.

Not at all. Ron Harper is fully on board

 

[koriwhat]

Not at all. Ron Harper is fully on board

I haven't seen anything on Ron since predraft. Glad he's on board now.

 

[Sugus]

In not saying this season.

Me neither - rookie contracts are all 4 years long, if I'm not mistaken? Additionally the drafting team holds RFA rights - it's usually assumed the first 6-7 years of a players' career are controlled by the drafting team, unless they don't want him enough to not extend a new contract offer to the player...

Again I don't think I've ever heard of a player asking to be traded within their rookie contracts outside of Kobe "draft-day demands" Bryant, and that's 3 more years on top of this one. Safe to say it's not a concern.

 

[dn0774]

I haven't seen anything on Ron since predraft. Glad he's on board now.

I went to the Spurs-Mavs summer league game in Vegas and Ron was sitting in the Spurs courtside seats next to Wemby and the crew. I was like 8 rows back. Vibes seemed good.

 

[scott]

My sense pre-draft is that Ron was excited for his son and thought there was a case to be made that he should be the #1 pick. Maybe he was also trying to (via public statements) protect his son from some of the realities of the basketball business and understanding that just because the Spurs had the #2 pick didn't mean Dylan was going to be a Spur. Crazy things happen and Ron may not have wanted Dylan to get too emotionally attached to any outcome.

In any event, seems like Ron is a Spurs by proxy fan for now.