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Michael C. Wright
Having selected back-to-back NBA Rookie of the Year winners over the past two drafts, the San Antonio Spurs hope to have a third straight in Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, whom they selected with the No. 2 pick in Wednesday night’s NBA draft.
The selection marks the Spurs’ third consecutive draft with a top-four pick, following Stephon Castle, the 2025 Rookie of the Year whom the team took fourth last year, and 2024 top rookie Victor Wembanyama, who was the No. 1 pick in 2023.
Harper said he believed he was in the right situation to “showcase” his talent and make it three in a row for the Spurs.
“I think when you play with a bunch of great players, it just brings the best out of you,” Harper told ESPN after being drafted. “They got a great young core over there. I’m just ready to get in there and make an impact anywhere I can with those guys.”
The addition of Harper, widely considered one of the elite guard prospects of this year’s class, might seem redundant in San Antonio because of Castle and new point guard De’Aaron Fox. But Harper’s versatility fits the mold the Spurs seek as they transition to playing positionless basketball. The team’s brass isn’t overly concerned with drafting for positional needs, believing the players ultimately develop and determine their niche within the system.
At Rutgers, Harper showcased a knack for creating rim pressure, which will improve San Antonio’s spacing as Wembanyama is already one of the elite floor-spacing big men in the league.
With the recent hiring of assistant coach Corliss Williamson and associate head coach Sean Sweeney, the Spurs are looking to ratchet up the pressure on a defense anchored by Wembanyama, last season’s blocked shots leader. At 6-foot-6, Harper has the length to become a key cog in what could become one of the league’s most suffocating units.
“I think all my life it’s always been how can I go somewhere where you make something happen and obviously get to the championship,” Harper said. “I think with that young group, they’re in the right direction. They’ve got a great everything, man, from the front office to the equipment manager, to the video guy. They all around are great. I think the coach over there is great. I’m just happy that I’m a part of it now.”
This draft marked San Antonio’s first in nearly 30 years without Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich as coach. But the 76-year-old has remained highly engaged in the team’s draft process, as it works to surround Wembanyama with versatile two-way players capable of contributing reliable outside shooting.
San Antonio stuck with that philosophy in selecting the bouncy, athletic, 3-and-D forward Carter Bryant of Arizona with the No. 14 pick despite a need to add depth behind Wembanyama in the frontcourt. In addition to logging 37 blocks last season (seventh most by a freshman in Arizona history), Carter shot 37.1% from deep in his lone season with the Wildcats.
Harper, meanwhile, showcased a knack for consistently creating rim pressure in college, which will improve San Antonio’s spacing as Wembanyama is already one of the elite floor-spacing big men in the league.
In other moves, the Spurs traded the No. 38 overall pick to Indiana Pacers for a future second-round pick and cash considerations.
