San Antonio Spurs 2025-26 Season Prediction | Expectations for Dylan Harper and draft class

San Antonio Spurs 2025-26 Season Prediction | Expectations for Dylan Harper and draft class

But guys, let’s turn our attention to the San Antonio Spurs because it’s been a journey for center Luke Cornet, who recently joined the Spurs on a four-year deal worth $41 million. Cornet settled on the number seven because, in his words, quote, “I just hope to be a third of the player that Tim Duncan was.” Cornett joins a young crew hoping to take the next step towards a championship next season. But how close are they to getting there? Let’s talk about it with Avery Johnson and Chris Walker. Gentlemen, uh, they start with the big man or we start with the big man rather in Luke Cornett. Avery, when you think about the Spurs and and what they’ve been doing and how they’ve been building, how do you anticipate him fitting in with this young core that we’ve seen develop over the last couple of seasons? Well, first of all, Luke Carnett there was a five and a half number available. I don’t know if he’s going to be a third. He might be a quarter, but uh no, it’s great. I think I love this fit for the Spurs because you add a guy that you can either bring off the bench, you can start him, you can play him behind Wimby, you can play him with Wimby. You know, he comes from a winning program. That’s one of the things you always love to do is add guys with winning championship winning characteristics. Luke had a great experience with uh with the Celtics. I coached against him uh when he was in college at at Vanderbilt. But I just think his positive energy, your team first guy, a big that can spread and stretch the floor, you know, someone who knows how to communicate well on defense with this young Spurs team. Uh, losing a Chris Paul who obviously had a tremendous amount of experience. Now you’re adding another, you know, somewhat in in between veteran guy coming from a championship program. I think he’s going to fit nicely with the Spurs. Yeah, coach, I agree and you hit the nail right on the head. You know, talk about a cerebral player. Uh it kind of reminds me of what a Joe Walsh may end up being like in his career. Uh if he can follow with Luke Carnett having the time to sit behind some guys and learn in a winning situation. He brings championship DNA. You mentioned he played at Vanderbilt. So again, as I said before, very smart player, has great hands, great feet, can guard ball screens. You saw in that Knicks series what he was doing at a very high level. what this guy is capable of doing uh if he gets an opportunity. And now you go to join Wimby and Wimby and I love Wimby and I again he’s a generational talent but he loves playing on the perimeter. So I can see him hovering around shooting threes. Uh not that he’s not a physical player because his length precludes him from not having to be too physical but you now bring another option in if he sits or you can move him around a little bit and you have a formidable force inside in cornet. I think that’s a great addition as you mentioned to this young athletic team and with De’aran Fox as well and Dylan Harper who they drafted. This team is is is going to be scary. It’s just the only unfortunate thing is they’re just in a loaded west, but they definitely helped themselves uh by bringing in Luke Cornette for sure. Yeah, Luke Cornett’s going to help. You also have this year’s draft pieces that are expected to be contributors as well. They both uh or they settled on Dylan Harper and Carter Bryan in the draft this year. Chris, I know we’ve heard a lot about Harper and his outlook and, you know, how he’s going to fit in with this team. We’re going to see him play in summer league tonight, but when it comes to this rookie duo, how do you see them leaving their mark on this team? Listen, I I really really love uh the draft picks. Dylan Harper’s again, I think as much as they talk about Cooper Flag, this kid has a chance to be a generational player as well. That’s how really good I believe this guy is. And then now you talk about Carter Bryant. I mean, I’m a a new father who who uses sign language with my daughter. So, I fell in love with him right away uh given his uh if you read you read up on his story uh with his mom and using sign language and all that. I think it’s just a tremendous backstory. But this kid I felt at Alabama was one of those guys that fall short. And coach, you definitely can speak to this. 18 freshman or guys who have been in the NBA have been in college one year or taken. That’s the most ever. Carter Bryant was not the most productive player on his college team, but I’m telling you, he is the most explosive. He is the guy that you just look at similar, and I’m not saying he’s Jordan, but you similar, you look at that North Carolina team where they got Sam Perkins and they got James Worthy and everyone’s like, but who is that number 23 kid? That’s what Carter Bryant has opportunity to be with the Spurs. The question is, can he get ahead of Devin Bile and Kell Johnson and some of those athletic wings that they have uh and get some playing time, but I think the kid ceiling is extremely high and Dylan Harper I think can be a similar to a Shay Gilders Alexander given the opportunity even though they’re young, the Spurs are loaded, Avery. Yeah, I’m hired Chris right now on Dylan Harper for all the obvious reasons. I think he’s going to start alongside Dear Fox. They’ll have Steph Castle at the at the three spot. Probably Harrison Bowens if they want to start small at four with Victor Winyama. I’m I’m I I think for me when a guy averages six points in college, even though it’s in 19 minutes, I watched a few of his games. I want to see if he can crack the rotation because he’s not better than Kell Johnson today. Uh he he he’s not better than Devin Facel. So, we’ll see if the Spurs can develop him. Maybe they’re thinking down the road with him for years two, three, and four. We’ll see if he’s on the big team or if he spends time in the G-League to continue his his development. But, I don’t know if this is a player that the Spurs were thinking is going to be a big piece of their uh eightman rotation, especially early in this season. There’s just a couple of questions that we’re looking at, right, when it comes to this Spurs team because both of you have said on paper that this team has the chops to uh make some noise. We kind of saw glimpses of that last year before the injury to Victor Wimyama. And now it seems like Avery, there are some questions, not questions like bad questions, but Mitch Johnson stepping into the full-time role as head coach. It’s just a little bit different than being the interim there. when you think about the responsibility he is facing taking over for a Greg Papovich who we all know has left a lasting impact on the NBA. He’s still going to be around just not coaching. But what are those pressures that Mitch is facing right now as Mitch Johnson takes over as the head coach? It’s insurmountable pressure and and Chris, you know this, when somebody takes over for Phil Jackson or Bill Bich, you taking over for legends and normally, you know, that guy that takes over, uh, it it’s a tough transition. Fortunately for Mitch, he’s been in the organization for a long time as an assistant coach. He got his feet wet a little bit on the interim basis uh, last year. Uh even though you know Pop supposedly had the wins and losses, but then they took those back and gave those to Mitch Johnson, that was a great thing on the NBA’s part. Mitch has a relationship and built that relationship as an assistant uh with the players. So that gives him a little bit of a leg up more than a new guy coming in taking uh over for Greg Papovit. So, I think his best chance is because he’s built some real relationships, but it’s it’s his big shoes to follow. He’s got to figure out does he want to start Victor Winyama, you know, uh uh at five? Does he want to start him at four? He’s got some big decisions to make. And when you’re the full-time head coaching uh guy in that hot seat, you know, it’s the hot seat. You’re not friends with the players anymore. You’re sitting in the big boy chair. Yeah. Just quickly, it just comes down to continuity and and I’m assuming and a Avery, you probably have a little bit more insider baseball information that Papovich had to sign off on this and they have a very young team and I think that you look at what this what the uh OK Center OK uh Thunder have done with Mark Dagno having a young guy coming up through their system. I think the Spurs are replicating that as well and it may serve them best and I’m certainly cheering for Miss Johnson to get it done. Yeah, just looking at some of the conversations that players are having as well. Uh, all positive notes there. So, Avery, to your point, you got to have the players buying in whether you’re interim or not. And they got to respect you as the head coach, too. Um, I think the good news for Spurs fans is that you can only go up for here, right? Like, it wasn’t a great year last year. They missed the postseason for a sixth straight season. Uh, Chris, I’ll come to you first here. Do we finally see them snapping that streak when it comes to San Antonio? The playin. I mean, I got them in the playin. Okay. Um, yeah. And it all comes down to healthiness and they have the talent. Darren Fox really to me is is the one that can really Wim is a generational talent, but you look at Stefon Castle who was a rookie of the year, really good player. He’ll have some development, but Dearon Fox is an all-star type player. They got two allstars. It gives him a chance. But that West, and coach may disagree, that West is just so loaded. I mean, we’re talking about the Lakers like the Lakers are going to finish in last place. They’re going to be really good. The Rockers are going to be the Nuggets. I mean, they’re just the Warriors. I mean, it’s just gonna be so many teams that are so good. The question is, and I hate to say this because we just gave him his flowers, but the question is, can Mitch Johnson handle this responsibility because they have talent. They do not. There’s not a lack of talent in this team. The question is, can they get over the top and win those tough games in that 82 game series? I I still land them in the ninth or 10th spot trying to get into the playoffs. Yeah, that’s consistent with my opinion. And and quickly, here’s what I’ll say. I’ll say that the Spurs are going to leapfrog Sa Sacramento into the playin. I don’t have Sacramento making the playoffs. And and I believe anything can happen in the playin, and if the Spurs could be in the right situation, win a game, catapult themselves into that seventh position or win two games and get in the eighth spot, uh that that’s what I think their ceiling is for next season. All right, Avery has uh Mitch Johnson jumping over Doug Christie there to get into the playin. We’ll have to see it play out. Gentlemen, we appreciate the time and the insight. We know the NBA will be back before we know it. So, uh maybe next year. Baby steps when it comes to the Spurs as you see him there. 32 to1 odds to win the very difficult West. That uh the shortest odds going to of course the Thunder who just uh who just signed their uh third member of the Big Three to a max extension.

Avery Johnson and Chris Walker join CBS Sports HQ Spotlight to preview the 2025-26 season for the San Antonio Spurs.

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