Dylan Harper has a chance to replicate one of Kobe's rarest accomplishments

Dylan Harper is about to turn heads in his second season, even more than he did as a rookie. With more experience under his belt and boosted confidence, he's ready to keep proving his importance to the Spurs. He also has the chance to do something we haven't seen since Kobe Bryant in 1998: making the All-Star Game as a bench player.

Coincidentally, Bryant accomplished this in his second season, so maybe the basketball gods are trying to tell us something. Like Harper, he also played behind two talented starting guards, Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel. They both earned All-Star nods that year too.

But uniquely, voters selected Kobe to start over those two. Sure, the selection system in 1998 was much different from what it is now, but Harper still has the potential to pull off a feat similar to the Black Mamba with his elite production off the bench.

Dylan Harper needs to establish himself as an elite closer for San Antonio

I doubt Dylan Harper's stat line will pop off the charts the same way as other elite Western Conference guards such as Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or Anthony Edwards. So how can he differentiate himself? All-Star voters love astounding scoring and assist averages, so the second-year guard must find other ways to stand out.

He can do it by being one of the Spurs' best closers. Elite clutch play on a dominant, title-contending team will be difficult for voters to ignore. Becoming one of Mitch Johnson's go-to options in closing scenarios could separate him from other top guards in the West.

Dylan is more than capable of doing so. He was one of San Antonio's most reliable scoring threats in the playoffs. That couldn't have been more apparent than in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, where he hit a handful of clutch shots in the closing minutes to end OKC's season.

The Spurs can follow the 2014-2015 Atlanta Hawks blueprint

If you go back to the 2014-2015 season, Atlanta sent four players to the 2015 All-Star Game. Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap, and Al Horford each represented their team that year after the Hawks got off to a dominant start, ranking first in the Eastern Conference standings.

Some teams are so good that sometimes, they'll have three or more players make the All-Star roster. That was the case for the 1998 Lakers, as Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Eddie Jones, and Nick Van Exel packed their bags to compete in the exhibition match. During the Kevin Durant era, the Warriors did this twice.

Why can't the Spurs do the same? If they skyrocket to the top of the Western Conference standings and hold their position, they can easily send a handful of their players to represent them in Phoenix.

It'll be hard to imagine a world where Dylan Harper isn't included in that number. He's already one of the most beloved 25-and-under players in the league, and the basketball world is just itching for him to fill his resume with accolades that reflect his efforts.

Special players deserve special recognition. Harper's one of the Spurs' most valuable guys, despite not being a starter. Regardless of the lineup he plays with, his All-Star-level impact cannot be ignored next season.

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