The NBA Has A Dylan Harper PROBLEM..
Dylan Harper has returned and he just continues to impress. He’s a future star for sure. Last two games he’s made 12 two-pointers out of 16, 75 freaking percent. I was really interested to see what has been working for him in the past two games at this distance. So, here’s what I found against Denver. It was nothing crazy. He recognizes their playing zone defense. Jamal Murray is more worried about the perimeter. Smartly Harper speed burst to the middle which is open. Then he jump stops. Ball fakes to the roller then goes right up for the jumper. Next score. He’s just way too quick for Joic elevating to the rim. And now Murray has his back turned to him ball watching. As a result, Jamal gets destroyed on this screen because Harper went into the dribble handoff very quickly and then he’s in a very tough spot on the court to hit a mid-range jumper. It’s no problem for him though. So, as you can tell, he’s not just a threat to get to the rim, but he’s also fully confident rising up for the midi if he has to from many different angles, but you do have to give him props for his decisiveness. He’s so fearless. I mean, this is the first shot of the game, and he’s attacking one of the best rim protectors in all of basketball with confidence. And despite no contact on that screen, it forces Edwards on Harper’s back right away. So now Gob Bear is facing him straight up, not leaning toward one way or another. He dribbles one time left, which opens Rudy to the rollman. Then a quick gather attack the other way. That misdirection combined with the outside hand finish, which is his weak hand. Very impressive. Creates enough separation for him to get that layup off. Also, he got way higher than Rudy Gobear, who is 7 foot and has a 7’9 wingspan. That’s not easy to do. You could tell he’s just a smart basketball player. He got Rudy on a switch, so he backs up to create more space so he can pick up speed, and that quickness makes this bump effective. Rudy absorbs it well, but also gets pushed back a bit. And for a split second, his hands are down. During that time, Dylan Harper is exploding. He was very quick off the ground extending for that finish and he had to be because Rudy almost got him. First two buckets against Minnesota. He finished with the right hand, but this time he got downhill with speed going left. That’s his strong side. My goodness, look how comfy and confident he is touchwise driving left. I mean, hook shot over the wingspan. Kisses it super high off the glass above the backboard. And it also has some English on it as well. Are you kidding me? Can we just appreciate his strength? I mean, Jaylen Clark is defending him. He weighs 205 lbs, 6’5. He’s no slouch by any means. Quick burst to his right. Clark cuts him off and you see Harper gather going into an NFL running back type stance, initiating a shoulder bump. All the sudden, Clark is stunned under the basket with no ability to contest. And again elevating to the rim in a blink of an eye right after that while his defender is trying to recover. Now he’s catching on the fast break smartly. He attacks the backside. Oh, you adjusted. Attack the backside again. Now he gathers. Keep the ball with the right hand. Meanwhile, with his left hand, a slight push in the back to his defender. He doesn’t make it obvious though to avoid the foul call. Clark takes out Nas Reed because of that free layup. This next one is very, very simple. He got 50-year-old Mike Connley on him. Connley also worried about Julian Champeni potentially screening him. So, he pressures his right hand and as soon as that happens, Dylan Harper smartly takes the driving lane left and breezes past him. Anthony Edwards on this one just making life very easy for him. Gifting him a driving lane left as he catches. Help defender trying to set up for a charge. Quick counter. Euro step around. The ability to maintain control, stay on balance through that tight space while taking contact is very impressive. As you can tell, he has a lot in his bag. He plays at his own pace. Pretty much every star has that trait. It’s just crazy for how young he is, though. He really never gets sped up. And as we saw, he combines that with the ability to pull up off the dribble, hit a floater, and even challenge elite rim protection by finishing over, through, or around them. He’s attempting 8.3 two-pointers per game so far this season, and he’s been the most efficient for rookies who have at least attempted five two-pointers per game, 59.2%. Second place is currently Khan Canipple at 56%. And then the next closest is 52%. It’s crazy how polished he is under that three-point line. Man, oh man. If he can figure out the perimeter oriented game, he’s going to be special. Give him some time. Only 19 freaking years old. That’s all I got. Let me know your thoughts below. If you enjoyed, leave a like and subscribe. Thank you very much. Have yourself a great day and peace out.
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25 comments
Changing of the guards. Forwards and Centers too. NBA Farewell tours! Coming to a town near you!
It's bonkers that this is the case already, but I feel more confident when the ball is in his hands than when it's in Fox's hands.
I’ve never seen such a nba ready guard like his iq is so insane
His midrange and finishing are so good for being so young. Hitting the three at a better clip will make him such a great playmaker
I honestly think he’s a very talented player, but also lucky to be in the Spurs org that helps him develop and improve on his strengths and at the same time have the concrete foundation to work on his weaknesses without rushing or pressuring him to over perform.
He's a very savvy player. A teenager with veteran moves and reads. I'm so glad he's with the Spurs.
He definitely plays at his own pace, he's third slowest with the ball on the spurs
appreciate that d. harper love!
He definitely needs more playing time.
If it was up to me, I'd make him the starter and trade Fox right now
Look, it's pretty obvious Dylan is a very smart player. And it's crazy to say but he trains day in & day out against Wemby's length, so basically he knows he's not gonna get bothered by Rudy Gobert who's basically an older, slower and shorter version of Wemby, as crazy as that statement is.
We all saw him attack Gobert without the slightest hint of doubt in his mind, and he was right to do it cuz turns out he was very successful at it.
Could we be in contention for ROTY 3 years in a row?
should've went number one
What I like about him is that he has a true PG mentality despite being a good attacker.
He's çraftier and more polished than Castle was in his first year. Both are great at getting to the rim.
Remember that his dad was the legendary Ron Harper. No doubt he has an advantage with Basketball IQ and training.
Dylan will be the best player in this draft, even better than Cooper Flag, Its like choosing between SGA and Kawhi both great but one stands out just my hot take on this rookie class.
Modern Kobe..fearless,very high basketball IQ.
It is unfortunate he has to play so often with Sochan, because you have one offensive option left. In the previous game he gave three times the ball to Sochan who was totally free and Sochan missed all three opportunities…
If he’s not rookie of the year, something’s wrong. He’s been incredible. He’s literally been in the Spurs system for a few months and already he’s running the offense and taking advantage of his opportunities like a seasoned pro.
Reminds me of the impact Tony Parker had on the Spurs in his first season.
He’s a great scorer already but look at his passing highlights too. No slouch there with some great dimes this season already.
nice breakdown,
he's got excellent pace manipulation – love the way he keeps defenders off balance by changing speed.
and you can see the IQ working (especially in slo mo) – he punishes opponent's mistakes, proactively sets up switches, and is quick to capitalize on mismatches.
great fundamentals .
Rookie thts making more points than starters Harper #Spurs #Nation 🏆🏅🎖🪙🥇🏀⛹🏾♂️🤾🏾♀️🤾🏾♂️💪🏾✨
Harper: " 😂 this is way easier than going at Wemby!"
I view Harper as a Doncic caliber player, just needs to hit the 3 ball, his shot doesn't look bad & he's super young.