MIAMI — Dylan Harper’s 21 points in the Spurs’ 136-111 victory over the Heat on Monday night gave him back-to-back games scoring 20 or more for the first time this season.
Not that he’s keeping track.
“Honestly, scoring 20 ain’t the main thing, the main thing for me is winning,” he said. “As long as you win, I’m OK.”
For the season, the rookie guard has eight games of 20-plus, and he matched his season high of 24 in Saturday’s 134-119 win over Indiana.
He said reaching 21 against the Heat had as much to do with the Spurs being at full strength as it did him “finding his stride.”
In 25 minutes off the bench, he hit 9 of 14 from the field and 3 of 5 from 3-point range. He also had six assists, four rebounds and two blocks.
“With Steph (Castle) coming back (from a hip injury) and Dev (Vassell) coming back (from an injured hamstring), games come so easy for me,” Harper said. “There’s so much space on the floor. We have so many threats, so really pick your poison. But they do a great job encouraging me just to be me. Get off the ball, find open shooters, but if it’s one-on-one, go attack. That’s kind of the mindset I’ve been going in with. Keep it simple.”
Harper is averaging 11.5 points per game after the Spurs selected him second overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. He knows he would probably have a much higher average playing for a less talented team, but he reiterated that he’s thrilled to be with the Spurs.
“I wouldn’t trade that for anything,” he said. “I got drafted to a great organization, an organization that teaches you the game at a high level. And I think that even games like this where the points might look good, I’m still watching film, still getting yelled at just like any other game. So, that’s a testament just to the kind of standard that we’re all held to. But I love it. I think that day by day I’m getting better, whether that’s watching film or on the court.”
Harper said the “sky’s the limit” for the Spurs with himself and so many other young, talented players on the roster.
“One thing about us is that we’re all competitors and we’re relentless,” he said. “No matter what the score is, we have a great group of guys that just compete at a high level at all times. … This team could do wonders. So many possibilities, but we’re just trying to take it day by day, step by step, not skip any steps.”
