'Everyone's gotta wait for their turn': Spurs' Dylan Harper embraces bench role
NEW JERSEY, United States — After being drafted second overall, Filipino-American guard Dylan Harper knows there’s a strong chance he’ll begin his NBA career coming off the bench for the San Antonio Spurs — and he’s fine with it.
Harper pointed to the example of future Hall of Famer James Harden, who began as the sixth man for the Oklahoma City Thunder before becoming a superstar.
“You’re not going to get the keys all day,” Harper said on Carmelo Anthony’s “7 PM in Brooklyn” podcast this summer. “James Harden was with the Thunder and came off the bench sixth man for three to four years, waiting for his turn. Everyone’s gotta wait for their turn. That’s kind of how I looked at it.”
San Antonio is stacked in the backcourt with All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox, who signed a four-year, $229-million extension this offseason, and reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle.
Still, Harper impressed in limited action during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, averaging 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 22.1 minutes across two games. The Spurs shut him down early after getting a look at his potential. Shortly after, Harper signed a four-year, $56-million rookie contract — worth roughly P3.3 billion.
The Rutgers star joins a Spurs team seeking its first NBA championship since 2014. At 19, Harper said meeting Tim Duncan and longtime coach Gregg Popovich, now team president, gave him a glimpse into the franchise’s famed culture.
“You see a Hall of Fame coach and a Hall of Fame player around the gym every day. I can pick their brain and ask questions,” he said.
The Spurs also hired NBA skills trainer Tim Martin as an assistant coach, according to HoopsHype. Martin has previously worked with Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and All-Star guards Tyrese Maxey of Philadelphia and Trae Young of Atlanta, signaling San Antonio’s commitment to developing its young core of Wembanyama, Harper and Castle.
Harper is the son of former NBA guard Ron Harper and Maria Pizarro, who migrated to the United States from Bataan when she was seven years old. His Filipino heritage has made him a rising source of pride among basketball fans in the Philippines and in Texas, where he begins his professional career.
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