Dylan Harper Says Spurs' Playoff Drought Will End 'Real Quick' Ahead of Rookie Year
Dylan Harper—the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft—is confident that the San Antonio Spurs will be playoff-bound during his rookie season.
During an introductory press conference on Saturday, Harper was asked about the Spurs' six-year playoff drought, and he responded by telling reporters, "That's gonna change real quick."
From 1998 to 2019, the Spurs made the playoffs in 22 straight seasons, which stands as an all-time NBA record.
However, since then, the Spurs have finished with a sub-.500 record six years in a row.
San Antonio's struggles yielded some positive outcomes, though, including landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, which was used to select star center Victor Wembanyama.
After a dominant rookie season that saw him win Rookie of the Year honors and finish second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, expectations were through the roof for Wemby and the Spurs last season.
Wembanyama got off to a great start, but a blood clot cut his season short after 46 games, and the Spurs weren't the same without him, finishing 34-48.
That was still a 12-game improvement from the previous season, but the record was poor enough to allow the Spurs to luck out in the NBA draft lottery and land the No. 2 pick.
After the Dallas Mavericks selected Duke forward Cooper Flagg first overall, Harper was the clear choice for the Spurs with the second pick.
In his one and only season at Rutgers, Harper was highly impressive, averaging 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.7 three-pointers made and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
In addition to the dynamic Harper on the perimeter and a potential future MVP in Wembanyama, the Spurs also boast the 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year in guard Stephon Castle and one-time All-Star guard De'Aaron Fox, who the Spurs acquired in a trade with the Sacramento Kings last season.
Since the Spurs' backcourt is crowded with Harper, Castle and Fox, it is fair to wonder if one of them could get flipped this offseason as part of a trade for another star such as Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Even if the Spurs keep the core of Wembanyama, Harper, Castle and Fox in place, though, that could be enough to finally get them back to the postseason.
