The second-place winner of the new subject: The Spurs selected the son of the 5-title champion. The strongest defender of this year assists Wenban Yama

On June 26, at the 2025 NBA Draft, the Spurs used the second pick to select the son of the five title players Ron Harper, Dylan Harper. Harper is known as the strongest defender in this draft, and can serve as a shooting guard and point guard. The templates are Harden, Brunson or Cunningham. Harper will join forces with Fox to form a double-gun in the backcourt to assist Vanban Yama to help the Spurs rise.

The Spurs won the second pick in this year's draft. Many teams once intended to trade and get the second pick, but the Spurs did not choose to trade, but kept it for themselves. Now the Spurs have selected Dylan Harper, the son of NBA legendary 5th title player Ron Harper, with another second-generation star player, and he is also known as the strongest defender of this year.

Harper is 1.94 meters tall and has a wingspan of 2.09 meters. He is studying at Rutgers University. In the 2024-25 season, Harper played 29 games for Rutgers, averaging 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.6 blocks, shooting percentage of 48.4%, three-point shooting percentage of 33.3%, and free throw shooting percentage of 75%. In November 2024, Harper scored a total of 73 points in back-to-back games.

Harper is a double-guard player who can play in either number one and number two, so the Spurs can partner with Fox to form a double-gun in the backcourt. When Paul's contract expires, it is unlikely that he will return to the Spurs, Harper's joining can fill the gap and give Wenban Yama a young backcourt partner.

Harper is a tall guard with strength and confrontation at the same time. He is very impactful to the basket. He is skilled in controlling and has excellent foul skills. He is also good at pick-and-roll cooperation and has good performance on the defensive end, so he is suitable for partnering with Yama in Wenban.

Harper's shortcomings are too sticky and poor outside projection, which are all aspects that he needs to improve. Fortunately, he is only 19 years old and still has huge room for improvement. The combination of Harper, Vinban Yama, Fox, and Best Rookie Castle will be the core framework for the Spurs' future rise.