Dylan Harper reacts after being chosen second by the San Antonio Spurs within the first spherical of the NBA basketball draft on Wednesday June 25, 2025 in New York. (AP photograph / Adam Starvation)
San Antonio (AP) – Dylan Harper is impatient to combine as completely with the San Antonio Spurs as with their followers, who’ve already embraced the chief of Rutgers earlier than adapting to a observe.
San Antonio chosen Harper with the second alternative of the NBA draft on Wednesday night, including much more younger individuals to a promising checklist led by the celebs Victor Wembanyama and’Aaron Fox. San Antonio additionally took Carter Bryant, a 7 -inch wing of Arizona, with the 14th choice.
Spurs followers have been impatiently awaiting Harper, whose picture was on a wall unveiled this week by the identical seafood restaurant from Rudy which painted the picture of Wembanyama of the months earlier than the Spurs accepted the n ° 1 alternative in 2023.
“It is simply very surreal,” stated Harper, who noticed the portray on Instagram. He additionally acquired a loud reception of some thousand followers who watched the draft on the massive display screen on the Spurs coaching middle.
Enthusiasm is comprehensible since San Antonio missed the playoffs for 5 consecutive seasons instantly after a stellar spherical of 5 NBA titles throughout 22 consecutive appearances.
Harper and Carter be a part of a workforce that additionally consists of the recruit of the yr Stephon Citadel and the Veterans of Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson. Wembanyama and Citadel gained the consecutive honors of the recruit of the yr for San Antonio.
In Harper, the Spurs imagine they’ve one other recruit which might have a right away impression.
“While you play with a bunch of nice gamers, it brings you the perfect,” stated Harper. “They’ve a wonderful nucleus there. I am simply able to enter it and have an effect in all attainable methods with these guys. ”
Harper was thought-about the second greatest hopeful hope behind Cooper Flagg from Duke, which was first chosen by Dallas Mavericks.
The son of the 5 -time NBA champion, Ron Harper, the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Harper collected on common 19.4, 4.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 interceptions in his solely season in Rutgers.
Harper joins a rear space which already has guards in Fox and Citadel, however the Spurs didn’t hesitate to pick the 6 -footer 6 inch goalkeeper.
Harper stated he might simply combine his sport right into a program alongside Fox and Citadel in what has develop into one thing of a league with out place. It was additionally impatient to get on the sphere with the 7 -foot 3 -inch Wembanyama, which missed the final 30 video games of the season with a blood clot on the correct shoulder.
“All guys, however I feel Stephon Citadel is a giant one, clearly, aside from Wemby,” stated Harper. “Stephon Citadel, from’aron Fox. While you play with such good gamers, it merely raises your sport. When you could have so many ball managers on the sphere, you possibly can actually house the bottom. It makes the sport a lot simpler for everybody. The easy reality of getting the chance to be on the bottom with everyone seems to be nice. »»
Bryant collected a mean of 6.5 factors and 4.1 rebounds and pulled 37% over 3 factors in its solely season with Arizona. San Antonio acquired the 14th choice as a part of a enterprise in 2022 with Atlanta who despatched Dejounte Murray to the Hawks.
The Spurs additionally held the thirty eighth choice within the second spherical.
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