It only took minutes for Dylan Harper to silence his doubters

When the Spurs landed the number two overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery, there were questions about what the Silver and Black would do with it, despite Dylan Harper being the consensus second-best prospect in the draft. The worries about his fit next to De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle were loud, giving fans something to discuss and worry about.

But that's what happens in the offseason. We ponder, anticipate, worry, and debate. There's nothing wrong with that. Thankfully, Harper has finally gotten on the court, though. Now, he can start to put some of those concerns to bed like a kindergartner after a pizza party. And it didn't take him long to do so.

Dylan Harper looks great off the ball

Early in the first quarter, Harper flowed off the ball in the offense fluidly and wound up in the corner for an open catch-and-shoot three that swirled around the rim before spilling off the side. He didn't make the shot, but he looked comfortable, and his form looked smooth.

In his first Summer League action, we saw the number two overall pick set screens, stand in the corner, catch-and-shoot, and cut off the ball with precise timing for a picture-perfect finish.

The Spurs are going to be defensively focused first and foremost. Forcing so many missed shots and turnovers leads to fast breaks if they play with pace, so the more players who can just get the ball up the floor, the better.

With the pieces they've added, the only thing stopping them from being one of the best teams in the league on that end would have to be a lack of effort or an inability to pay attention to detail. Those things shouldn't be an issue for a young team claiming to be hungry.

This team has plenty of tone-setters now, too. Carter Bryant, like Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, and Victor Wembanyama, plays with an energy that gets their teammates going when they get after it. There shouldn't be many nights when the fans have to question the team's effort during the 2025-26 season.

Whether Harper starts next to De'Aaron Fox or comes off the bench, he'll be a versatile, steadying force for the Silver and Black. You could see it in his game at Rutgers, and you can already see it in his SL game. And it's not about the production. We've seen players have great stat lines in exhibition games and struggle when it matters, and vice versa. Don't put stock in the numbers.

What you're looking for is confidence, poise, assertiveness, attention to detail, consistent effort, and last but not least, you want to see how comfortable the young guys look in their roles. Harper checked all the boxes across the board. Spoiling Cooper Flagg's 31-point performance on ESPN was just a cherry on top.

Harper finished the game with 16 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one monstrous block in 17 minutes of action. The Spurs won the game 76-69 and led for most of the game.