Dylan Harper just put Mitch Johnson in an impossible situation

Dylan Harper just proved that he's nowhere close to being scared of the moment. Maybe that's what happens when your father is a five-time NBA champion, but regardless of the reason, it's hard not to wonder if this kid should be starting right now.

That means taking someone out of the opening unit, and the most obvious choice based on production and expectation is De'Aaron Fox. The Spurs just signed the former Kings star to a max contract, so there's no way Mitch Johnson could do that. However, Harper is likely to make it difficult to keep him on the bench for much longer, which means tough decisions for the staff.

The Spurs have the talent to win big but the margins can be small

Stephon Castle was steady from start to finish. He wasn't perfect, but he was exceptional, especially for a sophomore player in his first postseason. The younger half of Area 51 stepped up and led the Silver and Black with a 33-point performance they desperately needed from him.

Fans aren't surprised by this output, though. The former UConn star has jaw-dropping stat lines sprinkled throughout the season. It's been as joyous as an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. But the young playmaker couldn't do it on his own. He needed someone to come along for the ride, and Harper called shotgun.

The ex-Rutgers star put the offense on his back in the second half when they got stagnant. He dropped 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists, and his efficiency was off the charts. The first-year star shot 75% from the field (9/12) and 80% from deep (4/5). The Spurs won 120-108, but the ending score wasn't indicative of how important Harper's production was for the team tonight.

The third quarter wasn't looking very good for the second seed in the Western Conference. They were already coming out of halftime down to a confident Trail Blazers team that was winning the game without Deni Avdija playing his best ball. They were floating on a cloud, and taking their hope away had to happen through intentionality.

Scoot Henderson may have motivated Dylan Harper to generate that purpose after talking an immense amount of trash to the rookie after finally scoring a bucket on him after a long drought. Harper proceeded to dominate the game for the next several minutes, dropping bucket after bucket until San Antonio had the game in hand and victory was no longer in doubt.

A rookie did that on the road. The veteran star, who was signed to a max deal in the summer, hasn't lived up to the numbers he signed for. We have to call it like we see it. If this continues, it's obvious that Johnson should start Dylan, but the politics of basketball might prevent that. Hopefully, Victor Wembanyama's return will heal all. We'll see on Sunday.

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