The San Antonio Spurs chosen Dylan Harper with the second choose within the NBA draft on Wednesday evening, including much more youth to a promising roster led by All-Stars Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox. San Antonio additionally took Carter Bryant, a 6-foot-7 wing from Arizona, with the 14th choice.
Harper is raring to slot in as seamlessly with the Spurs as he has with their followers, who’ve already embraced the Rutgers level guard earlier than he has suited up for observe.
Spurs followers had been wanting ahead to Harper, whose picture was on a mural unveiled this week by the identical Rudy’s Seafood restaurant that painted Wembanyama’s picture months earlier than the Spurs had been awarded the No. 1 choose in 2023.
“It’s simply very surreal,” stated Harper, who noticed the portray on Instagram. He additionally obtained a raucous reception from just a few thousand followers who watched the draft on an enormous display on the Spurs observe facility.
The keenness is comprehensible contemplating San Antonio has missed the playoffs for 5 straight seasons instantly following a stellar run of 5 NBA titles throughout 22 straight postseason appearances.
At Rutgers, Harper was a high scorer, notably netting 36 factors towards Notre Dame and 37 factors towards Alabama. Nonetheless, the 19-year-old lefty’s abilities weren’t sufficient to safe a profitable document for his crew.
He’s additionally the son of former NBA level guard Ron Harper, who performed for the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls over an nearly two-decade profession. Like Dylan, Ron was a first-round draft choose when he began his skilled profession.
Harper’s choose, made after the Dallas Mavericks snagged Cooper Flagg, places to relaxation weeks of hypothesis that the Spurs had been contemplating commerce offers for current NBA stars. Among the many extra notable names floated had been Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder legend Kevin Durant — now a Phoenix Solar — and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
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CultureMap San Antonio editor Brandon Watson contributed further reporting to this story.
