Dylan Harper may push the Spurs to make a move no one saw coming

No matter what the San Antonio Spurs do this summer, their best way to get back to the NBA Finals involves rising star Dylan Harper. Harper had a stellar playoffs and is simply too good to keep in his current role, backing up De'Aaron Fox.

Still, that doesn't necessarily mean he will start next season. Nevertheless, Coach Mitch Johnson can't continue to play him just 22.3 minutes per game like he did during his rookie year.

As a result, San Antonio must make him their Sixth Man, replacing Keldon Johnson in that role. Johnson led the team in minutes off the bench in each of the last three seasons. However, that shouldn't be the case after the playoffs revealed which player was truly the best.

Johnson may have won Sixth Man of the Year, but Harper was San Antonio's best player off the bench. In fact, he is arguably already their second-best player on the team while Johnson may be entering his final season with the Spurs.

The Spurs can't afford to be patient with Dylan Harper

Fortunately, Harper should be in for a huge increase in minutes as the Spurs roster becomes more streamlined. Part of the reason why Harper played fewer minutes than expected as a rookie was because of their depth.

Luckily, the rotation should be much less convoluted next season. In fact, Harper will likely eat up almost all of the backup point guard and shooting guard minutes.

Meanwhile, Devin Vassell and Johnson should split minutes at small forward, and Julian Champagnie and Carter Bryant may do the same at power forward.

As would Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet. In that scenario, Harper could easily average at least 30 minutes per game despite still coming off the bench.

Dylan Harper must replace Keldon Johnson as the Spurs' Sixth Man

San Antonio needs several key players to level up next season if they want to return to the NBA Finals. Wembanyama improving upon an already steller season is definitely reasonable to expect.

Even so, it can be argued that Harper could make an bigger impact next season with an increased workload. Per 36 minutes, he averaged a terrific 19 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assist in the playoffs.

That proves that he is ready to play big minutes next season. After averaging 11.8 points last season, if he were to average around 18 points, six rebounds, 6 assists in 30- plus minutes per game, he could help transform the Spurs.

Imagine him winning Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player next season while beginning to live up to the James Harden comps. Hopefully, this team won't suffer the same fate as the 2010s Oklahoma City Thunder, which they are often compared to.

Just don't expect the Spurs to trade Harper, and Wembanyama appears poised to sign a 5-year fully guaranteed deal.

Add in a third-year jump for Stephon Castle and improvement to the mean for Fox and San Antonio could build upon was already a strong 2025-26 season. Hopefully, they'll cap it with a championship with Harper playing a crucial role.

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