Dylan Harper is off to a productive rookie campaign with the San Antonio Spurs, and veteran De’Aaron Fox believes his addition to the roster has been a seamless fit.
Harper entered the season with high expectations as the No. 2 overall pick out of Rutgers. He has emerged as a key bench player for coach Mitch Johnson to start the season, with his dynamic scoring and potential on the defensive end of the court.
The Spurs have utilized a starting backcourt of Fox and Stephon Castle, with Harper leading the second unit. They have been forced to shuffle the lineups around due to injuries, but Fox believes they have built good chemistry on the court.
“When you have guys who are all able to get downhill, create their own shot and create for others, I think it’s extremely easy to play off of each other,” Fox said on Friday. “I think it makes easier for each because when we are all on the court, we command attention. So that’s been an easy process to grow through, and we’re continuing to get better every day.”
Harper is averaging 13.4 points, 3.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 48% from the field in 14 appearances with the Spurs. He is fifth among all rookies in scoring average and is one of nine first-year players with multiple 20-point games.
The Spurs welcomed him back to the lineup on Nov. 26 after a 10-game absence due to a calf strain. They have been gradually increasing his workload after missing nearly a month of action and have been encouraged with the results.
“He is a wise 19-year-old just in terms of acumen and poise, composure and feel for the game,” Johnson said recently. “He has got good pedigree from his mom and pops, but it has been good just to get him back on the court and start building the continuity and on-the-job training because there is no way to replicate that, even though we try as much as we can.”
Harper has fit in well with the team on and off the court and benefitted by a strong group of veterans around him, like Fox, Harrison Barnes, Luke Kornet and Devin Vassell. Accordingly, the team has Harper positioned near them in the locker room on the road.
Entering the season, Harper revealed some of his rookie goals were to make steady growth throughout the year while learning from his new teammates. He recently credited them for helping him early on this season.
“It has been great,” Harper said. “They will sit me down and tell me what they see out there. We’re just going to have conversations. Fox does a great job of that. H.B. does a great job of that. Dev does a good job of that. Luke does a good job of that. Everyone is like a family. They are always going to tell me what I’m doing wrong and correct me.”