Bills Simmons confirms what Spurs fans secretly suspected about Dylan Harper

As the San Antonio Spurs gear up for the offseason, it's clear that they have not only one but two superstars on their hands. 2025 second overall pick Dylan Harper had a spectacular rookie season and an even better playoffs, with him looking like a bona fide star during the NBA Finals.

It didn't lead to a championship, but he earned plenty of praise for his terrific play and could be a sign of things to come. In fact, The Ringer's Bill Simmons has been among his most vocal fans

“I would take him over everybody in this draft, and I think this draft is better than last year's draft... I think he has a chance to be one of the best guards of the last 30 years.” Simmons said on his recent podcast.

Simmons has been hyping up Harper all year, and his performance in the NBA Finals did little to dissuade that.

Bills Simmons confirms what Spurs suspected about Dylan Harper

Harper looks like a superstar in the making, and his play only seems to confirm what Spurs fans and analysts believe. He has superstar potential, plain and simple.

However, the biggest question entering year two for Harper is whether he should start. It would normally be a no-brainer decision, but it's made complicated by De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle.

Fox might not be everyone's favorite Spur at the moment, but a healthy version of him still averaged nearly 19 points last season and made the all-star team. He should start, as should Castle. That would seemingly result in coach Mitch Johnson starting all three together.

Dylan Harper's role is still up in the air for next season

The problem with that is it would mean sending Devin Vassell or Julian Champagnie to the bench. Vassell is the team's best shooter, and Champagnie can do a little bit of everything.

The simple solution would be to have Harper come off the bench for the foreseeable future but increase his minutes. Essentially, San Antonio would have a three-guard rotation with Fox, Castle, and Harper each playing at least 30 minutes per game next season.

That wasn't possible last season with the Spurs having to play Vassell some at shooting guard to carve out minutes for Keldon Johnson at small forward. Now, Harper should see a big uptick in minutes with Harrison Barnes unlikely to return next season.

That would mean Champagnie starts at power forward, with Carter Bryant potentially backing him up, and Cassell and Johnson splitting minutes at small forward. In turn, Fox and Castle would both start and average at least 30 minutes each, while Harper could do the same by playing backup point guard and shooting guard.

It might not be a starting role, but he'd have plenty of minutes to show what he can do. Per 36 minutes, he posted 18.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.1 assists in the regular season and 19 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per 36 minutes in the playoffs.

That gives us a taste of what he can do in a larger role. All told, if he plays up to those numbers, he could quickly emerge as a star and prove both fans and Simmons right.

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