The San Antonio Spurs internally view Dylan Harper as their second-best player behind Victor Wembanyama, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN's The Hoop Collective. The assessment places the 20-year-old ahead of established veterans De'Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell, as well as second-year guard Stephon Castle. "I'll just say it. The Spurs internally believe Dylan Harper is their second best player," Windhorst said on the podcast. "I'm not saying Mitch Johnson is going to come out and say that. He shouldn't come out and say that."
Windhorst stressed the evaluation is no criticism of Fox or Castle. "That's not a slight on De'Aaron Fox. That's not a slight on Stephon Castle. Harper is a stud," he said, adding that rival front offices share the same view of the young guard.
Selected second overall by San Antonio in the 2025 NBA Draft, Harper averaged 11.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 69 regular-season games, shooting 50.5 percent from the field. His role grew during the playoffs, where he appeared in all 23 postseason games and averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 51.5 percent from the field. He finished fourth on the team in postseason scoring behind Wembanyama, Castle and Fox.
Wembanyama led the Spurs with 25.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in the regular season, earning All-NBA first-team and Defensive Player of the Year honours. San Antonio finished 62-20 before losing the NBA Finals to the New York Knicks in five games.
