Devin Vassell's misconstrued Dylan Harper remark is fueling imaginary Spurs drama

Devin Vassell may have chosen his words differently at his last press conference of the season had he known so many people would turn them against the team. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened when he told the media that Dylan Harper was upset with his playing time. Now, his words are being co-opted for an agenda against De'Aaron Fox, but they've been completely misunderstood.

Now, that makes much more sense. When you check Harper's game logs, it's even more understandable. The 2025 number two overall draft pick only played more than 25 minutes five times from October through December.

His time on the floor increased steadily as he grew into his role, but even still, D. Harp only played 30 minutes or more once in the entire regular season. He ended the year averaging 22.6 a night. Wanting to play more under those circumstances is understandable, but he already got what he was asking for with more to come, and that's what people are missing.

Harper was trusted in several big moments

Dylan played 26.7 minutes per game during the playoffs. Despite Mitch Johnson not trusting the bench enough during important segments of the postseason, the Spurs had a deep team. Giving the ex-Rutgers star that much time on the floor when the stakes are so high requires a ton of trust, and Johnson gave it.

Harper didn't close every night during the playoffs, but he was out there for his fair share. The game of the year was probably the double-overtime bonanza to open the Western Conference Finals against Oklahoma City. San Antonio led most of that match but looked like they could lose it when the defending champs of yesteryear made a late push.

The rookie played 46 minutes in that game, including nearly 11 minutes in the fourth and nine minutes in the two overtime periods. And he may not have started in the NBA Finals, but Coach Johnson relied on him more, increasing his time on the court to over 30 minutes a night. That's a ton of trust, and it's nothing to sneeze at.

Spurs fans, analysts, and former players alike keep screaming the same thing: "Start Dylan Harper." But what if he, like Manu Ginobili, just averaged 31 minutes a night? Is coming off the bench for one or two more seasons really that big of a deal?

Of course, it could be, but that's up to the player, and this conversation has been flamed by words that did not have that intention, since Vassell wasn't even talking about the playoffs. We should let things play out before throwing away talent in favor of more talent. I'd rather just keep all of the talent together. That seems like the smarter play.

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