Latest news with #DylanHarper
New York Times
15 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
With Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant additions, Spurs continue to build their way
SAN ANTONIO — Five and a half minutes into his first official news conference as a member of the Spurs, Dylan Harper addressed the subject the team's fiercely loyal fans had been waiting to hear from the very moment San Antonio's lottery luck in May produced yet another giant leap in the draft order. Advertisement Reminded by one questioner that a Spurs fan base spoiled by an NBA record 22 consecutive trips to postseason play had endured six straight seasons in lotto land, the 6-foot-6 combo guard from Rutgers turned oracle. 'Man, that's going to change really quick,' Harper said, repeating the assertion to emphasize his belief. 'I think our group is very exciting. There's a whole lot to look forward to. I mean, just sky's the limit for this group that we've got.' One had to listen hard to hear those final vows through raucous cheers from several hundred fans who had managed to gain entry to the event inside the team's Victory Capital Performance Center. More than a few NBA Draft experts have opined that Harper would have been the No. 1 pick in some recent drafts, including the 2024 draft in which the No. 4 pick, Connecticut guard Stephon Castle, would become the second Spurs player in as many seasons to become Rookie of the Year. No player eligible for this year's draft was going ahead of Duke's Cooper Flagg, the most recent 'generational' talent to enter the Association. But Harper was as much of a lock to go No. 2 as Flagg was to be the first to shake commissioner Adam Silver's hand on draft night at Barclays Center. This fact was also certain: There never was a chance Harper was going to any team but the Spurs. Certainly, San Antonio general manager Brian Wright listened to offers other teams ran past him, including a few from the Phoenix Suns that offered to put Kevin Durant in silver and black. There were reportedly others from Philadelphia positing a proven shooter or two in exchange for moving down just one spot in the draft. Wright's willingness to listen was mere professional courtesy. When the first round concluded on Wednesday night, the Spurs GM acknowledged what anyone with a scintilla of familiarity with the team's approach to its post-big-three rebuild already knew: The Spurs remain committed to building through the draft for the long term. Short-term pain — those six seasons outside the playoffs — has been the price for ultimate success, but that may now be over for the mostly young core the Spurs now have, as Harper all but guaranteed on Saturday. Advertisement On Wednesday, Wright and his basketball operations team took the players they believed were the very best available with their two lottery positions: Harper and Arizona forward Carter Bryant, whose availability at No. 14 in the first round seemed to Wright nearly as serendipitous as their luck on draft lottery night. And the team's immediate future? Sure, a trade for 36-year-old Durant, a former NBA MVP who had the Spurs at the top of his list of preferred landing spots, would have all but guaranteed a playoff run this upcoming season. But the eyes of Wright, CEO R.C. Buford, 'El Jefe' Gregg Popovich and the other members of the Spurs basketball brain trust remain focused on the long term. 'I think at this time of year, you have to go through a process, right?' Wright said. 'You have to answer the phone, but I think early on we knew kind of what we wanted to do and the potential of the player there, so we listened to things as it came in, but I think we were pretty locked in.' Call it Wright's continuation of the Popovich-Buford way of doing business. Step-by-step. No shortcuts. Always look to the future. 'I think what we've tried to do is just put one foot in front of the other,' Wright said. 'Stay head down, and hopefully we look up someday and we're right where we want to be, but not putting the cart before the horse. Of course, we've got a lot of work to do over the coming months and coming years, but our hope and goal is to be there as soon as we can be. 'We don't ever approach the draft just trying to fill a need. I think there's a lot of ways to build your team out, and the draft is the chance that you get to add someone who you think can fit long term, and so you want to take the long-term talent and you can figure the roster out in terms of immediate fit in different ways.' Day ☝️ as a Spur! Follow Dylan and Carter on their first night as members of the Silver and Black! 🎥: | #sponsored — San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) June 27, 2025 If it seems like the Spurs are following the model set by the recently crowned NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder — a long-term approach designed to produce a title contender for a long stretch of seasons. Remember that OKC's basketball operations guru, general manager Sam Presti, got his start in the NBA 25 years ago, running errands for Buford and Popovich as an intern in the basketball operations department. He quickly became the team's video coordinator and, by his second year in that job, Popovich had taken to calling him the team's 'boy genius,' a moniker Presti thought both inappropriate and awkward. Advertisement But 'El Jefe' was a visionary then and remains so to this day. Presti's approach is now an NBA Finals-proven winner. That it mirrors Popovich's axiom to skip no steps and take no shortcuts is hardly a coincidence. In Wright, Popovich and Buford may have their new genius, nearly twice as old as Presti was when Popovich gave him the nickname he despised. Harper now has a strong chance to become a big part of what the Spurs believe will be another longtime NBA powerhouse once its young stars, almost all of them draftees, develop together. What impressed Harper most when he visited his new team's Victory Capital Performance Center after he arrived in The Alamo City on Friday? 'I mean, for me, just really the family atmosphere, just the loyalty they bring in,' he said Saturday. 'Just how everyone's connected from an organization from 20 years to now. (On Friday) I'm working out, and I randomly see Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich and (Manu) Ginobili. That's not something you would see in any other organization. Just the family, just the loyalty and just how everyone treats each other with such respect.' Harper shared the stage Saturday with Bryant, whom the Spurs had rated several spots higher than No. 14. Wright made a few calls of his own on Wednesday in an attempt to move up to get him but backed off deals that meant trading assets he wanted to keep. In the end, he got the player he wanted, and he couldn't hide a wide grin as he recalled watching Bryant still available after picks 10 through 13. Bryant will need more development than Harper, but Wright and his team of talent evaluators believe he can become one of the better 3-and-D players every NBA team covets. They were certain he was the best player available quite a few spots ahead of spot No. 14 in the first round. Bryant didn't guarantee a Spurs playoff run next season during his remarks on Saturday. He actually went a bit further as he took note of the youth of the team's core. 'There's so much room for growth on this team,' Bryant said. 'I think you're going to look up one day and we're going to be one of those dynasties at the top of the mountaintop.' That is what spoiled South Texans call The Spurs Way.
New York Post
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Dylan Harper guarantees Spurs will make playoffs next year: ‘Going to change really quick'
Dylan Harper has some high expectations for his new team. Harper, who was selected by the Spurs with the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, said that the team will make the playoffs next season. The Rutgers standout made these claims during his introductory press conference with the Spurs on Saturday. 3 Spurs first round draft pick Dylan Harper, right, poses for a photo with general manager Brian Wright during a news conference at the team's facility in San Antonio on June 28, 2025. AP 'That's going to change really quick,' Harper told reporters. 'We're going to make the playoffs. I think for the Spurs fans and everyone else, our group is very exciting. There's a lot to look forward to. The sky's the limit for this group we've got.' Along with his bold prediction, Harper shouted out his new teammates Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle for making NBA history in being back-to-back Rookie of the Year award winners. Harper, 19, has a chance to become the third straight winner of the award for the Spurs, a feat that no NBA team has done. 'I don't think I feel no pressure [to win ROY], but I definitely want to keep that going,' Harper said. 'That's definitely a goal of mine. Probably my biggest goal is just getting better every day, taking it day by day, step by step, and just learning from everyone I can.' 3 Dylan Harper poses for a photo with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected second by the Spurs in the first round of the NBA draft on June 25, 2025. AP Harper also acknowledged a trio of Spurs legends that he saw during his first training session with the team on Friday, saying how much it means to be playing for such a revered organization. 'I'm working out, and I randomly see Tim Duncan, Gregg Popovich and Manu Ginobili,' Harper said. 'That's not something you'll see in any other organization. Growing up, this is one of the teams you always wanted to play for. 'Seeing their dynasty, [you] just keep wanting to build on those banners and want to add a few more.' 3 Spurs first round draft picks Carter Bryant (left) and Dylan Harper are introduced to fans following a news conference at the team's facility in San Antonio. AP During his only season with the Scarlet Knights, Harper averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while making the All-Big Ten team for his freshman campaign. Harper is set to debut at the California Summer League on July 5, with the guard saying he plans 'to win every game we play.' 'I think my confidence and all that comes from all the work I've put in,' Harper said. 'I feel like I'm one of the hardest working people out [there]. I just know how much work I put in. You've still got to be humble because just [as] quick as you get everything, everything can go away.'
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
No. 2 pick Dylan Harper reveals goals for rookie season with Spurs
Dylan Harper enters next season with high expectations as the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, but the former Rutgers guard isn't feeling the weight of that pressure. Harper was considered the consensus choice as the second pick and the best player in the draft behind Cooper Flagg, who went first to the Dallas Mavericks. He was a consensus five-star prospect and lived up to the hype with a sensational freshman campaign with the Scarlet Knights. The 6-foot-6 standout joins a Spurs team that has produced the last two Rookie of the Year winners in Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle. Naturally, there could be some added pressure for Harper to keep that streak going, though he doesn't believe so. "I don't think I feel no pressure but I definitely want to keep that going," Harper said on Saturday. "That is definitely a goal of mine, but probably my biggest goal is just getting better every day and just taking it day by day, step by step and just learning from everyone I can." Harper was a third-team All-American honorable mention by the AP last season, averaging 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, four assists and 1.4 steals. He registered 20 20-point games, setting the Rutgers single-season scoring record by a freshman (564 points). The 19-year-old won't have to wait long to get started with the Spurs, with the team beginning training camp before the NBA Summer League on Tuesday. He, along with 14th pick Carter Bryant, will get his first taste of the league and is eager to get started. "I want to win every game we play," Harper said. "(The) hope on the summer league is just getting your feet wet and going out there and winning and competing and being your best self. I just want to go out there with the mentality of I got to do whatever I got to do to help my team win." Harper, the son of former five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, is regarded as one of the top lead guards in the draft. His size enables him to get to his spots and score from virtually all over the court and get to the free-throw line after averaging 5.8 attempts per game. He has drawn comparisons to Cade Cunningham as a bigger guard who can score, play with physicality and see the court well. He is just looking to ingratiate himself well and help the team break its six-year playoff drought in any role asked of him by new coach Mitch Johnson. "I can't speak for Carter, but I think both of us just want to fit in however we're going to fit in, just keep growing and elevating this young core," Harper said. "The way they're playing, you can see the flashes and everything else. For me, just wanting to come in and whatever coach asks me to do, and whatever is best for the team, I'm going to go out there and do."
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
NBA Summer League: Mavericks' Cooper Flagg to debut against Lakers
The NBA on Friday announced the game and broadcast schedules for the NBA Summer League, which will feature all 30 teams and take place July 10-20 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 11-day competition, featuring 76 games, will air live on ESPN platforms or NBA TV. The top four teams after four games will advance to the playoffs, which will begin with a semifinal doubleheader on July 19 and conclude with the championship game on July 20. Each team in the NBA Summer League will play at least five games at the Thomas & Mack Center and the Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The 26 teams that do not advance to the four-team playoff will play a fifth game between July 18-20. No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg will take the court for the first time on July 10, with the Dallas Mavericks facing the Los Angeles Lakers (8 p.m. EDT). In the second game, No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and the San Antonio Spurs meet No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe and the Philadelphia 76ers (10 p.m.). The following night features No. 4 pick Kon Knueppel and the Charlotte Hornets squaring off against No. 5 pick Ace Bailey and the Utah Jazz on ESPN (7 p.m.). No. 6 pick Tre Johnson and the Washington Wizards will play the Phoenix Suns in the second matchup (9 p.m.). The NBA Summer League has a rich history of showcasing future NBA stars, with past participants including Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Spurs' Dylan Harper a roller-coaster ride of emotions after going No. 2
The post Spurs' Dylan Harper a roller-coaster ride of emotions after going No. 2 appeared first on ClutchPoints. San Antonio Spurs' newest guard, Dylan Harper, was emotional after being selected as the No. 2 overall pick at the 2025 NBA Draft. The Spurs added to their exciting backcourt the 19-year-old who projects to be an absolute star at the next level. Dylan, the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, has succeeded everywhere he's been. In one season at Rutgers, the Franklin Lakes, New Jersey native averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists on an efficient 48% from the field. Advertisement Harper was subsequently a third-team All-Big Ten selection, showcasing his talent on a weekly basis in one of the best conferences in the country. At 6 foot 6, 215 pounds, the young guard was fired up about joining his new team. In an interview with ESPN's Monica McNutt, Harper detailed his excitement. 'I'm feeling everything. All the emotions mixed in one bucket, from crying, to laughing, to being happy. I'm excited to get ready, I'm excited…I think when you play with a bunch of great players, it just brings the best out of you. They got a great young core over there, and I'm just ready to get in there and make an impact any way I can with those guys.' Harper joins a team looking to take a huge step up in the Western Conference hierarchy during the 2025-26 season. Victor Wembanyama should at least be a top 10 player in the world this coming season, and he already has an All-Star-caliber point guard beside him in De'Aaron Fox. Next to those two is 2024-25 Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, who has the potential to be an elite wing in this league. Several other solid role players are on this roster, like Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, and Jeremy Sochan, so Harper isn't guaranteed to start immediately. But looking ahead, it'll be interesting how the 19-year-old fits in a potential backcourt with Fox, who presumably will have the ball in his hands most of the time when it isn't in Wembanyama's. Harper has shown the potential to play off-ball before, but that wasn't his role in college. Advertisement Overall, the Spurs took the most talented player available, which is the right move for this franchise. Harper has the potential to be a cornerstone player for over a decade in San Antonio alongside Wembanyama, especially since he was considered the best pick-and-roll prospect going into Wednesday night. Should the Spurs continue their tradition of developing elite talent, they should have a championship-contending squad sooner rather than later. It's playoffs or bust for this franchise next season. Related: Why Spurs strike NBA Draft gold again with Carter Bryant Related: Victor Wembanyama calls Dylan Harper after Spurs' No. 2 pick
