Bill Simmons gives Dylan Harper praise even Spurs fans are afraid to say out loud

It's always fun to hear a national NBA analysts praise the San Antonio Spurs or individual players, and that just happened with Dylan Harper. The second overall pick drew widespread praise for his play during the NBA Cup Finals, with him looking nothing like a rookie.

Harper drilled a career-high five threes, even though he was just shooting 28% from distance entering the game and finished several terrific drives to the rim. As a result, The Ringers' Bill Simmons, who has repeatedly sung Harper's praises, took to comparing him to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and even Kobe Bryant due to him footwork.

That might be gassing Harper up a bit too much, but it's fair to say he's not a normal rookie point guard—or even a point guard taken as a top-3 pick Young point guards are supposed to show flashes of scoring and playmaking but often struggle with consistency and turnovers.

Bill Simmons is right about Dylan Harper...sort of

That hasn't been a problem for him with Harper being a reliable offensive weapon off the bench for the Spurs. He just looks so polished right out of the gate that he has fans and analysts excited about his future.

Simmons comparing Harper to Gilgeous-Alexander and Kobe probably isn't helpful even though I appreciate his enthusiasm. To Simmons' point, though, he does have great footwork and body control, which, combined with his length, height, being a lefty, and being just 19, makes for a tantalizing package.

He has shown zero problems getting into the paint and finishing at the rim, even though he isn't an elite athlete. A more apt comparison might be Manu Ginobili. Manu was a good athlete who didn't settle for midrange jumpers and could get to the rim at will.

Dylan Harper displays superstar potential for the Spurs

Factor in his court vision, 3-point shooting, and timely defense, and he was the complete package as a guard. Harper shares a lot of those same traits, especially with his 3-point shot beginning to fall.

Assuming that he can be a respectable to good 3-point shooter and defender, which both appear to be entirely realistic, Harper screams future superstar. Remember, Ginobili didn't play in the NBA until he was 25 and really didn't emerge until he was 27.

Harper is just 19 and won't turn 20 until March. Whether he has the ceiling to be an SGA or a Kobe is questionable, but he doesn't need to be to become a star. It's possible he emerges as a perennial All-NBA candidate and All-Star, which would make him a top 20 player in the NBA.

That's what makes a long-term pairing of Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Harper so exciting.