Spurs have already won the 2025 NBA Draft in ways no team can compete with

By now, the San Antonio Spurs should be doing a victory lap after getting off to a stellar start. Not just that, but the early returns from their 2025 NBA Draft haul have been promising, to say the least.

Rookie Dylan Harper has received glowing reviews for his play, with some of the NBA's top analysts, such as Nate Duncan, Zach Lowe, and Bill Simmons, all singing his praises. The fact that the Spurs lucked into arguably the best point guard prospect of the last five years is still almost unbelievable.

As is the fact that they were gifted a lottery pick by the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks gave up what ended up being the 14th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft to the Spurs, which they used to select Carter Bryant.

He is currently earning spot minutes on the Silver and Black, and while his offense is definitely a big work in progress, he doesn't appear hopeless as a shooter. If he can be at least a decent shooter, then his real skill, his defense, and his intensity on the other end of the floor will soon become a big weapon for the Spurs.

The Spurs are the clear winners of the 2025 NBA Draft

With the addition of Harper, no other team in the NBA can say they have a guard trio that touches the Spurs. De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle both rank in the top 20 in the NBA in drives per game, while Harper actually has them beat in terms of drives on a per-minute basis.

Simply put, the Silver and Black can keep defenses on their heels with three guards who are constantly in attack mode. That has proven to be the Kryptonite of teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and possibly even the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Lakers' guard pairing of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves isn't good enough defensively to stop Fox and Castle. LeBron James also isn't nearly the defender he once was, and Deandre Ayton isn't enough of a rim protector to keep those two or Harper out of the paint.

The Thunder also had similar problems even though they are much better equipped defensively. Harper had some strong showings against OKC, including dishing out 10 assists and forcing five steals off the bench in the second unit in their second meeting.

The more comfortable he gets as the season progresses, the better he'll be come playoff time. He has even shown more of a willingness to let it fly from outside. His 3-point percentage is still below league average but has been trending in the right direction.

If he can become a solid, high-volume 3-point shooter, then good luck to whoever is tasked with guarding him.

Carter Bryant is the Spurs' wildcard of the future

As for Bryant, he is still probably a year or even two away from being a full-time rotation player.

That might still work out well for the Spurs. They will need a cheap replacement at the four, with Harrison Barnes nearing his mid-30s and also extension eligible. Also, Keldon Johnson has about a season and a half left on his contract.

If Bryant can shoot and attack closeouts on offense and be an absolute menace on defense, he could toggle between small forward and power forward. That would allow San Antonio to get younger and cheaper by replacing both with Bryant.

He is much more of a wild card compared to Harper, who feels like a surefire star, but if both players develop the way we expect them to, then the Spurs will be crowned the undisputed winners of the 2025 NBA Draft.