The box score from Game 5 of the NBA Finals will show a tough 94-90 loss for the San Antonio Spurs. It will show a blown double-digit lead — the fourth time in the series they let one slip. And it will show rookie guard Dylan Harper missing a layup that could have tied the game in the final minute, then clanking a pair of free throws with seconds left.
But anyone who watched this playoff run knows the real story. Harper, just 20 years old, was the engine that nearly dragged a team few believed in all the way to a championship.
A Rookie Playoff Run That Demanded Respect
Harper came off the bench for most of the postseason, but that didn’t stop him from leading the Spurs in scoring in the biggest game of their season. He finished Game 5 with 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting, adding to a collection of five 20-point playoff outings as a rookie. Those numbers become even more staggering when you consider the stakes: elimination games, hostile road crowds, and the pressure of being the primary offensive weapon on a team that was supposed to be a year or two early.
After the loss, Harper spoke with Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News about what the team took away from the run.
“We all learned a lot in this playoff run,” Harper said. “A lot of people counted us out and we proved people wrong. It didn’t go how we wanted to go, but we definitely learned a lot.”
That maturity — the refusal to let a heartbreaking Finals loss define an otherwise brilliant postseason — is exactly what the Spurs front office has to be buzzing about behind closed doors.
The Youthful Wrinkles That Won’t Matter Long-Term
Harper’s final-minute miscues in Game 5 are the kind of mistakes that stick in the memory of casual fans. The missed layup was a makeable finish at the rim. The free throws — the second of which may have been intentional — were uncharacteristic for a guy who shot 82 percent from the stripe during the regular season.
But here’s the thing: those are correctable errors from a 20-year-old playing in his first NBA Finals. What isn’t correctable is the production, the poise he showed for four straight rounds of playoff basketball, and the way he flat-out outplayed veterans on the biggest stage. The Spurs have seen enough to know they’re not looking at a nice complementary piece. They’re looking at a future superstar point guard.
An Offseason Dilemma in San Antonio
The emergence of Harper creates a legitimate roster question for the summer ahead. De’Aaron Fox, the team’s veteran point guard, struggled through much of the playoffs and had an uneven Finals series. According to multiple reports, the Spurs front office faces a tough decision: Fox is under contract, but Harper’s excellence has made it clear that the rookie is ready for a full-time starting role heading into his second season.
It’s a good problem to have. A 20-year-old who just punched above his weight through the NBA Finals doesn’t belong coming off the bench anymore. Whatever happens with Fox — whether he stays or gets moved — Harper has already proven he’s the guy San Antonio builds around going forward.
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