Keldon Johnson wasn't the only Spur to get some attention for the Sixth Man of the Year Award. Standout rookie Dylan Harper landed two 3rd-place votes, which isn't much but still very impressive for a first-year player.
It's yet another part of what's been an interesting debut season for Harper. He made a seamless transition from being a lottery pick to accepting a role as a reserve and even made himself fit into a complex roster situation.
He faced a unique set of duties for a first-year player, but he didn't allow it to hinder his production on the court. The Spurs can look back at the 2025 NBA Draft knowing they made the perfect decision despite facing some controversy for it.
Dylan Harper's season was a reflected the Spurs' amazing depth
It's not every day that a team gets two players who are at least in the conversation for the Sixth Man of the Year award. Obviously, Keldon was the one to win it, but Dylan Harper also made his case, providing some much-needed value for San Antonio off the reserves. It's no surprise that they ranked in the top ten in bench points.
Harper gave them a serious scoring punch with 11.8 PPG on insane efficiency. He did his part to help open up San Antonio's offense by getting to the rim, using his gravity to create opportunities for himself or shooters along the perimeter.
It made for one of the most unique rookie campaigns that we've seen in a while. It's not the norm for second overall picks to come off the bench, let alone accept that role and dominate in it. That's where Dylan was able to separate himself from the rest of his fellow draftees.
It's time for Dylan to take this into the postseason
The Spurs ran into a tough situation in their Game 2 loss to the Trail Blazers when Victor Wembanyama went down with a concussion. It could leave him out of action for a few days, so for San Antonio, it has to be an all-hands-on-deck approach if they want to win the next few on the road.
This is especially true for Dylan. Regular-season production is great, but it means nothing if it can't translate over to this stage. He did look a bit rusty in Game 1, scoring just six points, but in Game 2, there was some real promise. He ended with an efficient 10 points along with two assists.
One regular-season development that needs to find its way into this series is his three-point shooting. After the All-Star break, he was scorching from downtown, but so far against Portland, he's only attempted two threes without a make. If he can get this together the rest of the way down, it keeps the Blazers' defense honest and opens up more easy looks for the Spurs' offense.
He will also need to take better care of the ball. Through the season, he averaged just 1.4 turnovers per game, which is impressive for a rookie. But so far in this series, he's given it away five times. It's a fixable issue that can go a long way for San Antonio.
So there's no doubt that Harper was dynamic through the regular season; no one with a functioning brain will argue against that. But every young player learns that it's important to translate that into the playoffs. We got great signs in Game 2, so hopefully he can keep his foot on the gas.