Dylan Harper should run the bench for one more season so Victor Wembanyama can breathe

Five days ago, I argued that starting Dylan Harper over an actual forward was a smart, unconventional play. The logic for that assertion is still defensible, but then I watched the Spurs' franchise centerpiece Victor Wembanyama go 1-13 from the field with half of Oklahoma City sitting in his lap, so let me amend my position.

Harper gave San Antonio 18 points on opening night, so that isn't the problem. The issue is what the fifth weapon in a five-weapon lineup costs the guy this whole thing is built around. The truth is that there will be more nights like Tuesday before this thing clicks, if it clicks.

Too many winnable losses should be enough to convince their star sophomore to remember the importance of sacrifice. At that point, Dylan Harper would need to head to the bench.

The Spurs' bench missed Dylan Harper

San Antonio's bench was outscored 48-29 last night. That won't cut it. The return of Tobias Harris should help that group figure it out, but Harper was the engine of the bench last season. Having him in that role was perfect for a team that already had a strong starting unit.

The Rutgers product put up 69 games, four starts, 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists on the way to the All-Rookie First Team. Then the playoffs came, and he jumped to 14, 6, and 3. His first career playoff start was against these same Thunder, and he gave them 24 points, 11 rebounds, seven steals, and six assists in double overtime at 20 years old.

Nobody should hear "bench" and think demotion. Keldon Johnson won Sixth Man of the Year on this exact roster last season, and the sophomore guard was the favorite to take the award this year had he remained with the second unit. There's no law that says he can't still play 28-30 minutes a game in that role.

Harper didn't take his first shot until three-plus minutes into the game. There are so many options between him, De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, and Victor Wembanyama that someone can end up getting frozen out for stretches. That happens to him less if he's leading the bench unit.

Wemby needs the room more than the Spurs need a third guard

Teams are going to sink into the paint on Wembanyama all season, exactly like OKC did. That will continue to be the plan unless Fox, Castle, and Harper can make defenses pay consistently enough to stop it. Even then, these guys still want to get downhill more than anything, and good opponents will prioritize keeping that from happening.

That means a more crowded lane for Victor. Coach Johnson combats that by taking out the third guard that defenses will leave open and swapping him for a shooter who buys Wemby an extra foot. Swipa was a bright spot last night, and if he's truly back to peak form, let him and Castle run that opening unit. The extra space helps the entire operation.

What we do know is that the guard dynamic they had last year was working. Fox and Castle together were a plus-9.4. Harper and Castle were a plus-11.0. Fox and Harper were a plus-6.2. Any two of the three and things were peachy. The triple threat didn't work in the 2025-26 campaign, and in the first game of the new season, it was a bust again.

They're trying to fix something that wasn't broken.

Now, all of these points for Harper to the bench could apply to Fox, but it's hard to see an All-Star in the first year of his max contract making that move. That's a notion that will undoubtedly bring people back to the idea that San Antonio should just trade the ex-Kings franchise guard.

However, the best idea is to have Harper wait for one more season and worry about the Fox question over the summer. He's 20, and that seat isn't going anywhere.

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