Dylan Harper provided a very nice first impression and returned to the court with a bang on Monday. He made his debut in the first preseason game against the Sacramento Kings. He recently missed some time after having surgery in September to repair a partially torn collateral ligament in his left thumb. As a result, he ended up missing the team’s first two preseason games. Even with this precautionary measure in place, Harper was fully active throughout the remainder of training camp workouts while still wearing the splint on his damaged thumb.
As the Spurs continued their season-opening game against the Clippers, Harper was on fire right from the start. He scored his first points just 10 seconds after entering the game with 6:12 left in the first quarter, courtesy of a layup assisted by Harrison Barnes. This performance continued to blow away expectations, and her performance turned constantly. He accumulated a staggering 18 minutes of playing time and a plus-minus of 20, that’s right, an incredible 20.
In a highlight-reel moment late in the first half, Harper connected with Victor Wembanyama for an alley-oop that resulted in a two-handed jam with just 44.3 seconds remaining. This play was a glimpse of the future, highlighting the developing chemistry between the fiery rookie and the prized top pick big man. “Just being back out on the court with them guys, just getting the chemistry going before the season starts, it just felt good to play again,” Harper expressed post-game.
Though understandably nervous going into the battle, Harper was able to make his way through the gauntlet impressively. He expressed that the learning curve of passing to someone as tall as Wembanyama comes with its own challenges. I could have thrown it a bit higher,” he lamented of the alley-oop that set up Wade’s charge to immortality.
It’s clear that Harper is adjusting to playing alongside Wembanyama, as he remarked on the difficulty of gauging pass heights to such a tall teammate. “It’s weird. Ain’t no one ever played with someone that tall. You get out there. You throw it up and you think you threw it too high. Then he catches it and you’re like, ‘it’s a little too low,’” he shared.
In addition to his scoring efforts, Harper recorded another assist in the third quarter, feeding Luke Kornet for an easy bucket before exiting the game due to a minutes restriction with 6:23 left on the clock. His knack for making a big-time impact in a few short minutes displays just how dangerous he could be for this team this season.
Harper is still aggressively rehabbing from his injury and trying to develop chemistry with his teammates. As an engineer, he’s excited about the future and all of the opportunities it offers. He was like, ‘I’m just gonna toss it up a bit higher. This is a positive sign of his willingness to get better, and an encouraging move as he continues to find his groove in San Antonio.
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