The Spurs had a fantastic 2025/26 season that almost resulted in a title, but that doesn’t mean everything was perfect. The downside of having such a talented and stacked roster is that inevitably someone will want more touches or minutes, and it turns out rookie Dylan Harper was that guy, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.
Harper voiced displeasure earlier in the season about a lack of playing time and his role, but those increased as the season progressed and the rookie gained more experience.
It’s not shocking to hear that the clear-cut No.2 overall pick of a great draft class wasn’t happy with coming off the bench and playing a support role for around 20 minutes a game when he was clearly capable of more. You don’t get to be as good as Harper is at basketball without supreme confidence in your abilities and extreme competitiveness, so no one should blame the rookie for wanting more responsibility, especially on a team that early on wasn’t expected to be a contender.
It’s good to hear that, as his role increased and the Spurs proved to be an elite squad, his displeasure seemingly disappeared, but it’s also hard not to wonder if his great postseason performance will have him once again wanting more. Harper was terrific in the playoffs and especially in the Finals, showing that he’s not just a likely future star but also someone who can contribute on the biggest stage right now. And he clearly knows it, which could put the Spurs in a predicament.
If Harper wants to start, Mitch Johnson will face a tough decision. San Antonio has De’Aaron Fox as one of its starting guards. The veteran is on a maximum contract, and, while arguably not as gifted, he’s more well-rounded than Harper. Stephon Castle is the team’s best point-of-attack defender, and he wouldn’t be able to consistently play off the ball to accommodate Harper as the main ball handler because of his lack of range. Devin Vassell had arguably his best season as a do-it-all swingman who was by far the best shooter on the backcourt. Who gets relegated to the bench? It’s not an easy question to answer.
Now, Harper may be fine with a sixth-man role for now as long as he gets more touches and finishes games. His performance in the postseason was impressive enough to suggest he might be ready for more responsibility than the typical second-year guard, but as the youngest and the one with the shortest track record of production, he could be fine with paying his dues as long as he gets more opportunities to grow his game and to act as the closer at times. It might actually be for the best to bring him along slowly, taking advantage of the depth at guard to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on him.
Hopefully, Harper will see it that way and will be happy starting next season as a super sub and the prohibitive candidate for Sixth Man of the Year. If he is, the Spurs won’t be forced to make any tough decisions. If he isn’t, the possibility of trading Fox to make room for the young guard becomes more realistic. While it doesn’t seem like the best idea to move on from the veteran guard this summer, Harper has looked like a future star, and keeping him happy should be one of the franchise’s biggest priorities.
The Spurs have aced the hardest part of any rebuild: getting enough talent to contend. Now, general manager Bryant Wright and coach Mitch Johnson will have to figure out how all the pieces fit and who will need to sacrifice or be sacrificed to optimize how things work on the floor and in the locker room.
