Victor Wembanyama’s impact dominated attention in Game 1, but Dylan Harper became the key secondary story after a late De’Aaron Fox scratch. Harper, a Rutgers rookie who had mostly come off the bench, received his first postseason start on the road against the defending champions. The Spurs managed his workload throughout the season and playoffs, keeping his minutes controlled while allowing development. In the game, Harper produced 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and seven steals. A late fourth-quarter sequence also showed his influence even without a made basket, as he handled the ball on the left wing with limited time remaining.
"Having come off the bench for most of the season and all of the playoffs so far, the rookie from Rutgers notched his first postseason start on Monday, thanks to a late scratch for De'Aaron Fox (ankle soreness). And what a time for that to happen: Game 1, on the road, against the defending champions. The Spurs were very patient with Harper this season, letting him grow without overexerting him (he only averaged 22 minutes per game in the regular season, a figure that only increased to around 25 minutes through the first two rounds of the playoffs)."
"That patience, and Harper's growth not just as a scorer but as an all-around star-in-the-making, paid off on Monday: 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and a ludicrous seven steals. Even that stat line doesn't do a complete job of hyping up the best game of Harper's young career. Allow me to give you an unorthodox point of evidence. While all of the Wemby moments will live on in my brain, I am going to also remember a play from Harper that didn't even end in a basket."
"With 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and the score knotted at 97-97, Harper received the ball on the left wing with just five seconds remaining on the shot clock. (Quick aside: The Spurs offense towards the end of the fourth quarter was hot ass. Just truly terrible ball-stopping and forced passes that were as awkward as they were harmful.)"
Read at Defector
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]