Spurs Rookie Dylan Harper Shines in First Career Start

SAN ANTONIO - Rookie Dylan Harper shined brightly in the first start of his career, showing all the stuff that made him a no-doubt pick for the Spurs at number two overall.

Harper got the nod against the Indiana Pacers and led his team with 24 points behind the sharp, strong playmaking that makes him such a high-level prospect at just 20 years old. A 6-foot-6 slasher, Harper scored 16 points in the paint and another five at the free throw line, more than any other Spur. The lefty is a walking paint touch, and his scoring and defensive versatility were both needed for San Antonio.

Dylan Harper in his first career start:

• 24 PTS, 4 REB, 3 STLS, 9/13 FG pic.twitter.com/ZJX820Lt6p
— Bala (@BalaPattySZN) March 22, 2026

Star second-year point guard Stephon Castle missed the game, and veteran wing Devin Vassell was a late scratch with hamstring tightness. Harper said that he learned he was starting 17 minutes before the game.

"Coach came in and said, 'you're guarding Nembhard,'" Harper said. "I was trying not to be too nervous, we're 70 games in but first start is kind of nerve wracking. For me I was just tryin to be in the moment and be myself."

Harper's previous 52 appearances for San Antonio all came off the bench, averaging 11.1 points, 3.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds while shooting 48.6% from the floor and 30.6% from deep, dialing in the range more recently.

Victor Wembanyama put up 20 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, Keldon Johnson added 24 points off the bench, and De'Aaron Fox had 14 points and 7 assists. But this night belonged to Harper, who tied his career high and led the team at +21 on the box score.

"Being out there, having my first start, it's kind of something you dream of as a kid, I'm just blessed to be in this position," Harper said.

Harper had attempted 529 field goals coming into Saturday night's affair, almost exactly half of them within five feet of the rim. He hit a cool 61% of those 264 attempts. Since the start of February he's also shooting 41.7% from deep.

Against the Pacers, Harper did a little bit of everything and a lot of what he does best. In addition to the scoring, Harper's dangerous driving helped set the table for San Antonio on a number of possessions, creating the initial advantage that opened up the eventual scorer.

Mr. 💯

📺 @FanDuelSN_SW pic.twitter.com/aEr42rbQ2z
— San Antonio Spurs - x (@spurs) March 22, 2026

Some have questioned whether the Spurs can make things work with three ball-dominant point guards playing heavy minutes, but the offense has flowed well with two of the three on the court, and the depth is great to have if someone misses some time.

"There's a synergy of all of them kind of embracing and supporting each other in a way that it's just very reciprocal," Mitch Johnson said earlier in the week. "It's been cool to see. And I think there's a lot of people, for whatever reason, that thought it was going to be hard or maybe difficult, or maybe competitive, where there's not enough basketballs to go around, or things like that, but it's been anything but that.

Harper shot 8-9 from inside the paint in this game, and added some impact on defense with size, tenacity and switchability. He's fast enough to blow by you, strong enough to go through you, smart enough to outwit you, skilled enough to make you ask once again, "How old is that kid?"

Harper is so talented, in fact, that his coach can still demand a little more because he knows his rookie is just scratching the surface.

"He's talented, I thought he did well, I think he can be sharper, think he can continue to get in better shape," Johnson said. "Those are nitpicking criticisms when you look at the production, but thats how good he can be and so that's acknowledging his production and the talent and how good he is, and also knowing how much better he can be and we need him to be."

Harper figures to be a key player in San Antonio for years to come, and as he continues to hit outside shots it makes the prospect of playing him with Castle and Fox simultaneously at the end of a game. He probably won't stay in the starting five for long, but mostly because he's the straw that stirs the drink for the second unit. His game is incredibly mature, and so is his acceptance of his role.

"I cant imagine for a 19-turning-20-year-old young man taken second in the draft, knowing a lot of the guys in that draft class of his, and the different circumstances and scenarios that they're in just in terms of volume of minutes and basketball in their hands and opportunity to have production," Johnson said.

"Obviously he's been a huge part of winning and has played a role in that tremendously, but to have that perspective and that acceptance at that age I think is really difficult, and he's made it look very easy and I think that's probably the most impressive thing that he's done because obviously as you see with minutes and volume of opportunity the production would be as much as anything that's going on this year in my opinion," Johnson said.

Harper, for his part, feels lucky to be right where he is.

"We're number 2 in the West, to me we're the best team in the NBA so just for me to get drafted to a organization that is so family oriented, I think any rookie regardless of what role you in, you should want to come here. Just from top to bottom its very professional," Harper said. "It was definitely easy for me knowing the vets I have, they made it easier they sat me down and said we understand the position you're in, so we're just trying to make it as easy as we can for you."