Dylan Harper’s road to bigger role runs through the jumper his competition lacks

The San Antonio Spurs have a three-player race for the two backcourt positions. Stephon Castle and De'Aaron Fox appear to be safe as starters for the time being, but second-year guard Dylan Harper is hot on their heels and could realistically take minutes from either player in 2026-27 and beyond.

As Harper looks for ways to carve out a more stable role in the rotation, there's one thing he can do to distinguish himself: Develop the three-point shot that Castle and Fox are lacking.

Though the common projection is that Castle and Harper will be the long-term starters, Fox is still a prominent factor. He was the team's go-to scorer and playmaker when Victor Wembanyama was injured in 2025-26, and is an All-NBA point guard in his prime who offers invaluable poise and pacing to a generally young rotation.

As such, Harper doesn't just need to figure out how to properly complement Castle, but Fox as well—as there may very well be times when the veteran is favored over the former Rookie of the Year.

Along those same lines, Harper competing with Castle and Fox for minutes may ultimately end with all three in the starting lineup. They're not lacking for size at 6'3", 6'5", and 6'6", and have skill sets that could work together if at least one were reliable from beyond the arc.

Harper is the most likely candidate to develop that skill and is therefore the player who should prioritize improved efficiency from distance to secure more consistent minutes.

Dylan Harper developing a 3-point shot would make him undeniable

Harper shot 34.3 percent from beyond the arc as a rookie, which is a promising sign that he's not all that far from being efficient. He shot just 33.3 percent in college, however, and posted a matching mark during the playoffs—thus revealing that there is, in fact, work to be done.

Not only was Harper inefficient, but he should've been better considering he ranked in the 93rd percentile in three-point shot quality, per Basketball Index.

That's one of the primary reasons a Castle-Fox-Harper trio isn't quite as ideal as it seems in the short-term. Not only is Harper a lackluster three-point shooter, but Castle and Fox are, as well. Through nine seasons, Fox is a career 33.1 percent shooter from beyond the arc. Castle, meanwhile, has shot 28.5 and 33.2 percent through two years in the NBA.

For a team that aspires to play through a big man in Victor Wembanyama, compromised spacing simply isn't an ideal option—particularly when Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell can help optimize it as starters themselves.

That's where Harper can not only secure a bigger role for himself, but transform the manner in which the rotation is structured. If he can prove to be a consistent option from three-point range, then he can easily justify playing more minutes with Castle, Fox, or both players at the same time.

Developing a strong jump shot isn't the formality that one might hope it would be, but Harper can carve out a significantly more prominent role if he improves as a shooter.

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