Spurs’ ultimate rookie privilege is already paying off on biggest stage yet

When the San Antonio Spurs drafted Dylan Harper, the instant reaction was that De'Aaron Fox had already overstayed his welcome. San Antonio committed to Fox with a long-term contract nevertheless, but the general consensus remains that Harper is being underutilized due to the presence of an All-Star teammate.

Though Harper's flashes of greatness are unavoidably compelling, there's a fundamental truth that many appear to be overlooking: Fox is the reason that the rookie can play without fear of losing minutes or facing criticism for his poor performances.

Harper has been brilliant as a rookie, scoring with efficiency and displaying clear two-way value to a team with championship ambitions. He averaged 11.8 points, 3.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 0.8 steals per game during the regular season, shooting 50.5 percent from the field along the way.

While several of Harper's fellow rookies received major minutes, however, he averaged just 22.6 per game—a figure that many have lamented as insufficient for a player of his abilities.

Harper has justified such hype by taking his game to an even higher level during the playoffs. He's scored at least 17 points in three of his past five appearances, and tallied 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals during San Antonio's recent Game 2 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

For as compelling as that all may be, Harper has a luxury that far too many people are calling a burden: Fox's presence as a player who shields him from criticism and nightly expectations.

De'Aaron Fox enables Dylan Harper to avoid criticism, expectations

Harper scored six points during Game 1 of the Spurs' first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, shooting 3-of-7 and committing as many turnovers as assists. He also had three points and one assist on 1-of-6 shooting during Game 4.

Rather than facing the same type of criticism that Kon Knueppel received during the Play-In Tournament or VJ Edgecombe faced for his shortcomings in the playoffs, Harper's poor showings were hardly mentioned at all.

The reason for that truth is as simple as can be: San Antonio won both of those games. Fox was a big reason why. He tallied 17 points and eight assists in Game 1, and dominated with 28 points, seven assists, six rebounds, two blocks, and a steal on 11-of-17 shooting in Game 4.

It was the epitome of what makes the Spurs' rotation work: Fox faces the brunt of the nightly expectations while Harper can showcase his potential without fear of losing minutes or facing backlash over a poor performance.

Dylan Harper can have bad games because of De'Aaron Fox

Furthermore, of the players who are still in the playoffs, only Cade Cunningham and Jalen Brunson are averaging more points per fourth quarter than Fox at 7.8 on 59.4 percent shooting. He's played 61 fourth quarter minutes during the 2026 NBA Playoffs, with no other Spur recording more than 46.

The Spurs are outscoring opponents by 19.0 points per 100 possessions during the fourth quarter when Fox is on the court compared to just 2.3 when he isn't.

In other words: Fox isn't just taking pressure off of Harper, but dominating late in games in a way that even alleviates some of the burden that Victor Wembanyama shoulders. Despite that being true, calls for his job persist in what feels like some kind of Bizarro World adventure.

The day may ultimately come when a difficult conversation must be held about Fox and Harper, but even then, the up-and-comer's growth will have been directly aided by the veteran who's shielding him.

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