Kendrick Perkins loves the way Spurs’ lottery picks are dominating the Summer League: “The Spurs [are] really hitting the draft” originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Kendrick Perkins loves what the San Antonio Spurs did in the 2025 Draft after watching their picks perform during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
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The Spurs had two lottery picks this year and they used them to select Dylan Harper at number two and Carter Bryant and number 14.
Big showings from young guys
Both have been extremely impressive if you ask Big Perk.
“The Spurs [are] really hitting the draft. I got a chance to see Dylan Harper for the first time — he’s like that. I think that Carter Bryant, from Arizona, reminds me a lot of OG Annunoby. He’s ahead of his [years],” Perk said on the “Road Trippin'” podcast before offering more praise for Bryant.
“He’s not worried about scoring; he’s worried about getting minutes. You don’t find young guys like that. He’s like, ‘Hold up, I’m coming on the team with Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes. How can I get minutes? At 6’8″, 6’9″, strong as an ox. You know how I get minutes? Playing defense at a high level. How do I impress my coaches? By being mic’d up so they can hear me calling [the defense] and being the anchor and the captain defensively. And when I’m on the bench, I’m in great spirits,'” Perkins pointed out.
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They can both have key roles in the Spurs’ success
While neither Harper nor Bryant will be required to lead the team and they will contribute as role players instead, it’s exactly what the Spurs wanted when they drafted them.
Even though Harper is a point guard and that role will be occupied for some time in the future by Fox, he’s built as a two-guard, standing at 6’6″, 215 pounds. With two 16-point games in the Summer League, he already showed the ability to absorb some contact while driving to the basket as well as some quick hands.
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That’s why he’ll fit perfectly alongside Fox, allowing him to have some rest defensively, even though Fox is a very good defender as well. But if Harper can show the same level of defense he showed during the summer, he has the physical tools to take on the primary opposing ballhandler and give more rest to Fox so he can save that energy to be more lethal offensively.
The biggest aspect of the game that he needs to improve on is his 3-point shooting as he only shot 33.3 percent during his time at Rutgers. He’ll have plenty of open perimeter looks with all the attention his teammates will have so Harper has to be able to knock those consistently.
And in regard to Bryant, Perk basically explained everything.
He’s been a menace defensively and the Spurs can use him in a multitude of different ways on that end. He has the strength to guard bigger players in the post as well as quickness to stay in front of the quicker guards if needed. That’s why Bryant will probably be a key cog in lineups where the Spurs switch everything.
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Be that as it may, San Antonio will go as far this year as Wemby and Fox will take them. Both have the talent to become one of the best one-two punches in the league, but the health has been an issue with both last season.
If they can stay healthy and the team meshes together well chemistry wise, the Spurs could be one of the bigger surprises not only in the Western Conference, but the whole league too.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.