Spurs shut down Dylan Harper for NBA Summer League — report

NEW JERSEY, United States — The San Antonio Spurs have shut down Filipino-American guard Dylan Harper after only playing two games in the 2025 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The No. 2 pick skipped the California Classic earlier this month with a minor groin injury. However, the Spurs' decision to keep Harper out of the remainder of the NBA Summer League has nothing to do with injury, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN. 

"They've seen enough from the rookie who averaged who averaged 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in 21.0 minutes over two games," Wright reported.

Harper was sensational in his NBA Summer League debut against No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg last Saturday (Sunday Manila time). The 19-year-old Harper scored 16 points in just 20 minutes of play to lead the Spurs over Flagg's Dallas Mavericks in a 76-69 win. He added six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.

"He was great and you felt his impact," Spurs summer league coach Mike Noyes told reporters after Harper's debut. "The stints were a little bit short, he would say. He hasn't played a game in a long time. So, we tried to manage that properly. When he was out there, he was playing hard, making the right play."

Two days later, Harper scored on a drive with 4.7 seconds left to send the Spurs-Utah Jazz game into overtime. His teammate, Riley Minix, sank a turnaround jumper at the buzzer for a 93-91comeback win that kept the Spurs unbeaten in two games.

Harper finished with 16 points, two assists and two rebounds in 24 minutes.

While the Spurs had seen enough, ESPN's Kevin Pelton raised a concern about Harper's outside shot.

Harper only hit 1-of-8 triples in his two NBA Summer League games. He shot 33.3% from the 3-point line in his lone season at Rutgers.

"How quickly he improves will determine how soon he joins the San Antonio veterans as a starter," Pelton noted.

Before the NBA Summer League began, Harper had the third-best odds (+1200) to win the Rookie of the Year at BetUS, one of the top US sports betting sites, according to Gameshub.com.

Flagg, who scored 31 points in the Mavericks' loss to Harper and the Spurs, is the odds-on favorite at +250. Utah Jazz forward Ace Bailey, the No. 5 pick, and Washington Wizards' Tre Johnson, the No. 6 pick, are tied with the second-best odds at +700.

Harper will return to action when the Spurs open their preseason games on Oct. 8 against the Miami Heat in Florida.

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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for US-based publication Heavy.com.