Dylan Harper’s playoff run was so good that it made him an instant sensation around the league. It also made observers question whether the rookie, who came off the bench and played under 23 minutes a game in the regular season, was ready to take on the starting role from veteran De’Aaron Fox heading into the 2026/27 season.
Harper has clear start potential, fits the Victor Wembanyama timeline better than Fox, and excelled while the two-time All-Star struggled in the postseason. The rumors that Harper would
want a bigger role predictably started to crop up, and while the Spurs said all the right things, the looming backcourt logjam emerged as a potential issue.
In an interview with Brandon “Scoop B” Anderson for scoopb.com that’s worth reading in its entirety, Harper assuaged those concerns by talking glowingly about Fox and clearly stating that he thinks Fox, Stephon Castle, and himself can all play together:
I mean, Fox basically took me under his wing my whole first year and helped me and allowed me to grow in this space. And my thing is, me and him never had a problem. Like, what’s—I’ve never seen a problem playing with two to three ball-handlers on the floor. Everyone last year said that it was not going to work, this, that and the third, but I think it worked pretty fine this year. I think we exceeded expectations a lot. So, I mean… for me, all I care about is doing what’s best for the team and winning and he is a big factor and he’s a big piece in us winning now and in the future. So, I mean, for me, I have no—I don’t have anything bad to ever say about him because, at the end of the day, he’s taught me so much.
Harper doesn’t come out and say he’s fine coming off the bench, which is the main topic of interest for many, but the question was not about that, but about whether he had any issues with Fox. He was clear about his relationship with the veteran guard, saying that it’s not just something that worked on the court:
And it’s like… it’s little things, like I’m close with him… every time I see his son, every time I see his family, like, we’re all super close. So it’s like me and him have a great relationship where it’s like, that’s kind of my—I joke with him all the time, it’s kind of my uncle. He kind of like—he just teaches me things that I don’t think anyone else that hasn’t been in his position could teach me.
With Fox’s up-and-down postseason and the young guards doing so well, it can be easy to focus on the negative and dismiss the impact that having a seasoned lead ball handler to learn from had on Harper and Castle. Veterans are important in a locker room, doubly so if they have the respect of the players they are supposed to mentor. It seems that while Fox’s performance can be criticized, his commitment to helping others improve cannot, going by Harper’s account.
As mentioned, the entire interview is worth a read. Harper talks about how he’s been spending his offseason, his great playoff run, and his thoughts about Mitch Johnson.
For such a young player, Harper seems to have his priorities straight, as his comment about only caring about winning and doing what’s best for the team shows. His selflessness and strong relationship with Fox should make it easier to navigate any issues around minutes and roles next season and going forward, even as Harper emerges as a star.
