2025’s second overall pick, Dylan Harper, has star potential but will likely start his career coming off the bench for the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs already have star De’Aaron Fox and reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle at point guard, forcing Harper to the bench.
Of course, they will have to integrate Harper into their rotation to maximize his potential. That could take time, but luckily, Harper appears more than fine with having to work his way up on the Spurs.
“Everyone got to wait for their turn. That’s how I kind of look at it,” – Dylan Harper
Spurs rookie Dylan Harper talks about waiting for his turn in the league, talks James Harden…. #nba #porvida #sanantonio #gospursgo (via 7pminbrooklyn) pic.twitter.com/zgimsZXCue
— JeffGSpursKENS5 (@JeffGSpursZone) August 20, 2025
Spurs fans should welcome Harper’s apparent eagerness to embrace a role off the bench. This is because he will likely need to come off the bench for at least the first season of his career. After that, it’s uncertain, but he won’t start alongside Fox and Castle. At least not at first.
Dylan Harper could be the Spurs’ James Harden
Harper not only seems fine coming off the bench but even invoked former Sixth Man of the Year James Harden’s name. Harden undoubtedly achieved greater success once he became a starter. However, he began his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, initially serving as a Sixth Man for the first three seasons of his career.
That was after he was selected third overall in the 2009 NBA Draft, providing Harper with a potential career blueprint to follow. Harden quickly emerged as an elite player, even winning Sixth Man of the Year in just his third season. By his fourth season, he was starting on the Houston Rockets and was an all-star.
The Spurs probably wouldn’t let it get to that point, and Harper does have all-star potential, but they will first have to sort out their point guard situation. Fox is obviously the best player in the trio, but his contract might not allow for the Spurs to keep him. Castle has two-way potential, but his star potential hinges on his 3-point shot.
Meanwhile, Harper is arguably the best playmaker of the three, consistently gets to the rim, and has the potential to be the perfect long-term co-star to Victor Wembanyama. The most likely scenario is that they eventually play all three together and see if that’s a viable option. Still, that’s not sustainable long-term.
Harper is the Spurs’ future at point guard, not De’Aaron Fox
Castle’s rookie contract ends in three seasons, and San Antonio can’t afford to pay Fox and Wembanyama the max and Castle the rookie max, plus Harper. Not going to happen.
More likely, assuming Castle and Harper develop as expected, they will look to move on from Fox after two or three seasons. That would give Harper time to develop like Harden did with the Thunder.
Ultimately, Harper’s willingness to come off the bench for the first few seasons of his career could be a huge help to the Spurs. They could use that time to sort out their crowded point guard situation and be better for it in the long run.
