PHILADELPHIA — Dylan Harper did not wish to do media. He did not wish to be satisfied.
Trudging by way of a cramped tunnel at Xfinity Mobile Center sporting slides and sweatpants, a group spokesperson knowledgeable the rookie on his approach to the locker room that he’d be talking after Victor Wembanyama. “You’re next,” was the warning.
“No the hell I’m not,” Harper replied jokingly.
Evidently, Harper misplaced the argument. After Wembanyama completed talking, he advised his teammate he’d been requested about him. Harper nonetheless did not wish to hear it, however he obliged.
Closing out their month-long Rodeo Road Trip with a 40-point win over the Philadelphia 76ers may need swayed him. Or possibly it was his 22 factors, scored extremely effectively in as many minutes. Either method, Harper left his imprint on the sport.
And he was ready to be done traveling; sleeping in his personal mattress sounded heavenly.
“We need that new arena,” Harper laughed.
The San Antonio Spurs hit the street to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Feb. 10 earlier than heading 5 hours north to San Francisco to face the Golden State Warriors on the second half of a back-to-back. From there, Harper went to All-Star Weekend earlier than rejoining his group in Austin for the I-35 Series.
Three straight Eastern Conference opponents on the East Coast capped the Spurs’ journey, and Harper’s exhibiting in Philadelphia marked his better of the journey.
“(He’s shown) a real maturity to stay with what we’ve asked of him,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson stated of the rookie. “To continue to not just value winning, but the details, the team things, the things that, at times, are hard for a 19-20-year-old to understand.”
Since being drafted in June, Harper has been clear on his function. Joining a backcourt already that includes Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox meant his runway can be shorter than that of a few of his draft mates. Kon Knueppel, Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey all joined groups trying to proceed alongside their respective rebuilds or, in Dallas’ case, resets.
Wembanyama’s third season — and first since returning to basketball from a season-ending deep vein thrombosis prognosis — can be none of these issues.
“Day-by-day was my mentality,” Harper defined, denying he felt any emotions of angst or jealousy. “Not comparing myself to anyone. Running my own race. Because we’re all in different situations. I’m blessed to be in this one.”
Wembanyama joined Harper within the latter. Some of what he is seen from Harper this season he noticed from Stephon Castle a 12 months prior. And others noticed in him throughout his rookie marketing campaign.
“I have zero doubt that if there was a re-draft today, we would take him,” Wembanyama stated. “He’s so good. So composed … I’m so happy that Dylan is super young and can be here for years and years because I want to share the court with him for as long as possible.”
In 50 video games this season, Harper has averaged 11.2 factors, 3.3 rebounds and three.7 assists on 48 % taking pictures from the sphere. Of rookies with not less than 40 video games performed, he locations second in internet ranking behind solely Boston’s Hugo González.
Most of Harper’s success might be attributed to the sport plan he is purchased into.
“Ball movement,” he stated. “The biggest thing is just, how can we keep the ball popping? We can always get a good shot, but how can we get a great shot?”
Harper and Castle, particularly, have helped churn San Antonio’s offense alongside Fox and Wembanyama by attending to the rim at will and forcing defenses to break down inward. A blowout over Philadelphia served as the newest instance of their impression.
“My role is to keep making sure they keep having advantages,” Wembanyama stated, having shot solely 5 occasions. “Keep rolling, keep hitting on screens, until the opponent decides to do something different, which they didn’t. So, please. Let them enjoy.”
Earning their twelfth win in 13 tries, the Spurs have purpose to really feel assured of their standing as contenders. But like they defined after finishing an undefeated February, they do not give energy to such narratives. Harper is not any exception.
Even he needed to admit how good it felt to be on a profitable trajectory.
“Confidence is through the roof,” Harper stated. “I think everyone is finding their stride at the right time. Obviously, there’s still a lot of things we need to work on, but what we got from this trip and what we showed ourselves, we’re very excited heading into March and April.”
Learning to come back off the bench was an adjustment for Harper. So was taking the appropriate photographs and combating by way of taking pictures slumps — his least efficient string of video games from Jan. 3-11 wherein he averaged simply over three factors per contest examined his psychological.
In these moments, Harper leaned on the veterans round him. Harrison Barnes, Fox and Wembanyama considerably helped. That’s when he discovered to verify his ego.
“It’s nice to see him get rewarded for putting the team first,” Johnson stated.
All season, San Antonio has responded nicely to the adversity it is confronted. Bouncing again from a 25-point beatdown by the hands of the New York Knicks with a bigger win in Philadelphia proved it. Wembanyama, nor Harper, knew the place that power got here from, however they had been glad to have proved themselves proper.
“It was a good East Coast trip,” Harper stated. “We had a good response.”
Like Harper, Wembanyama could not wait to return to San Antonio. The Spurs, who he says are on a mission, have a difficult stretch forward of them in the event that they wish to maintain tempo for the postseason. Being in entrance of a pleasant crowd will assist bounce begin that push.
Perhaps a brand new enviornment would assist mitigate the exhaustion brought on by a month-long street journey. It may even assist Harper really feel extra in rhythm. But he is nonetheless studying.
As far because the Spurs are involved, Harper would not know something, but.
“He’s been here for two seconds,” Mitch Johnson smiled. “He doesn’t have a vote, yet. I haven’t been here for much longer, but he definitely doesn’t get a vote.”
