Dylan Harper will quickly force the Spurs into an uncomfortable conversation

Now that the San Antonio Spurs roster for next season appears to be set, attention now turns to young players such as Dylan Harper. Harper showed everyone why he was the second overall pick in last year's draft with his impressive rookie season.

So much so that the intrigue surrounding his situation has increased. Despite being an elite prospect, he is currently stuck coming off the bench behind De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle.

Fortunately, according to the Athletics' Jared Weiss (subscription required), Harper is willing to be patient and continue coming off the bench. However, that assumes that he will be given a larger role than the one he played last season.

Dylan Harper could outplay De'Aaron Fox next season

Harper averaged just 22.4 minutes per game as a rookie but will hopefully average closer to 30 minutes next season. In that case, he will be given much more time to shine and possibly even outplay star De'Aaron Fox.

That would, of course, force an awkward conversation as to why Harper is still coming off the bench if he's better than Fox. Hopefully Fox will up his game next season. Especially with Harper having outplayed him in the NBA Finals.

Of course, even if that were to happen, the writing is already on the wall. Fox isn't a part of the Spurs' young core of Victor Wembanyama, Castle, and Harper. Even with Wembanyama taking a big pay cut, Fox may only have two or three more seasons in San Antonio before they are forced to restructure their roster around their young core.

Harper being better than Fox could make things awkward for the Spurs

In some ways Fox having competition behind him could be the motivation he needs. Fox was good but not great last season, but San Antonio needs him to be better if they hope to make the NBA Finals again.

Meanwhile, Harper getting more time to shine is another key way San Antonio could be far better next season. A little healthy competition could force both players to level up, and San Antonio would be better for it.

As would Victor Wembanyama. The better the supporting cast around him, the better he'll be in the Spurs' attempt to avenge their NBA Finals loss next season.

All in all, Harper will continue to come off the bench but may give Fox a run for his money with increased minutes. That might make things awkward with a second-year player on a rookie-scale deal possibly outperforming an all-star on a max contract. But if it forces Fox to up his game, then the Spurs can live with any potential awkwardness.

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