Spurs are stunting Dylan Harper's growth thanks to Victor Wembanyama

The San Antonio Spurs have a future superstar in Dylan Harper, but they're stunting the 20-year-old’s growth thanks to Victor Wembanyama. The Alien immediately being one of the best players in the world forced San Antonio to trade for De’Aaron Fox and push into championship contention quickly. Wemby made the NBA Finals in his third season. It was the right decision for the Spurs to speed up their timeline, but it is slowing Harper’s growth.

The rookie had five 20-point games in the playoffs, despite averaging under 27 minutes per game. He went for 21 and 25 points in the final two games of the NBA Finals as his minutes rose over 30. Harper was playing better than Fox. Yes, the All-Star guard had an ankle injury, but the uncomfortable conversation will swirl throughout this season.

Harper looks like a star, but the team trying to maximize every win has kept him in a lesser role. The 20-year-old will make mistakes and have bad nights. That is part of testing the boundaries and growing. The Spurs should embrace that because Harper has the potential to be significantly better than Fox. He could be a top-20 player in the world and a key part of the Spurs building another dynasty. The franchise has to stop stunting his growth.

Spurs need to let Dylan Harper shine next to Victor Wembanyama

Wemby is the Spurs’ best player and should be the focal point. When he played with Harper in the playoffs, San Antonio was plus-12.5 points per 100 possessions. They were plus-12.4 with just Wembanyama on the floor and a minus-22.8 when both Harper and Wemby were on the bench. This could already be an elite duo if the Spurs fully embrace it.

Bill Simmons knows how good Harper already is. The Ringer already ranked Harper one spot over De’Aaron Fox in their Top 100. This was after the 20-year-old’s rookie season. Fox is in his prime. Spurs fans can’t expect much more from the two-time All-Star. Harper is just getting started. How high can he climb? San Antonio should be committed to finding out.

In games where Wemby is out, the Spurs should let Harper shoot 20 times and be the alpha. If they want him to become a superstar, they need to give him moments in that role. Let him fail now to succeed later.

The Spurs reached the NBA Finals by defeating the Thunder in a Game 7 in Oklahoma City. Wemby and company shouldn’t be worried about being the number one seed or dominating the regular season. Their focus should be on maximizing their talent for the playoffs. That means taking the training wheels off Harper and seeing how much he can grow.

Harper averaged just 22.6 minutes per game as a rookie. That shouldn’t happen in year two. The 6’5 guard should be playing 30-plus every night. Castle and Harper should be one-two in regular season minutes played as the Spurs look to grow that dynamic backcourt duo next to Wembanyama.

The 7’4 big man should be held to around 28 minutes per game to save him for the playoffs. He is already the best player on the planet. There is no need to tax him with an enormous workload.

If Harper loses San Antonio a handful of games with mistakes, so be it. Those regular season contests don’t matter. The Spurs will need him to get important buckets and make plays in the playoffs. It should all be about building toward those crucial moments.

The Spurs stunted Harper’s growth as a rookie and will continue to do so in year two. De’Aaron Fox will start and play closing minutes over the 20-year-old as San Antonio looks to maximize their wins. Wemby forced the Spurs' hand.

It is not ideal, but the franchise didn’t know they would land the second overall pick in the 2025 draft when they traded for Fox. They wanted an All-Star guard, and Fox forced his way to San Antonio.

Dylan Harper is already elite and will only get better from here. The San Antonio Spurs must let him grow. Play more three-guard lineups and lean into developing Harper into Victor Wembanyama’s co-star. That is how the franchise becomes a dynasty.

The Spurs have already stunted his growth. It needs to stop now, and only head coach Mitch Johnson can make it happen. Sadly, he appears committed to Fox, even if Johnson shouldn’t be.

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