San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper made NBA playoffs history on Monday night in his first postseason start. Harper filled in for the injured De’Aaron Fox in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. The No. 2 pick made a sensational playoff debut as a starter, recording 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and seven steals on 8 of 20 shots. He was 7 of 7 from the free-throw line and finished the game with a box plus-minus score of +20.
According to the NBA, Harper became the first rookie to record more than 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals in an NBA playoff game. He joined Magic Johnson as the only rookies to record more than 15 points, five rebounds and five steals in a conference finals game since the 1973-74 NBA season, when the league recorded steals for the first time.
Harper also recorded the second-most points for a rookie in a conference finals debut since Andrew Toney, who had 26 points in 1981. After the avalanche of records Harper made to etch his name in the history books, his father, Ron Harper, a five-time NBA champion, called out his son’s critics.
“You ask why he was the number 2 pick in the draft…. Sleep on it now,” Harper’s father wrote on X.
Dylan Harper was considered the best guard in this year’s draft class. However, as the season progressed, a few critiqued whether that was true. Harper’s role and usage in comparison to No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, the Rookie of the Year, No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe and No. 4 pick Kon Knueppel weren’t as significant.
Naturally, his production didn’t match his draft mates. Nevertheless, Harper’s playoff success has proved that he was worth the hype as the second pick.
Dylan Harper reveals how he held his nerves in a tense Game 1 showdown
Dylan Harper showed tremendous composure at the point of attack for the Spurs in Tuesday’s double overtime 122-115 win on the road. As a rookie, it’s easy to get unnerved in such moments, but Harper played with a great awareness and made the right reads. He only had one turnover during the game.
Harper also outplayed MVP and his backcourt counterpart, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 24 points and dished 12 assists, but shot a measly 7-for-23 and committed four turnovers. Harper revealed how he stayed even-keeled during the clutch back-and-forth, saying:
“I’m just trying to win, that’s the biggest thing on my mind. Obviously, going to double overtime, but … no, it’s gonna be every game regardless, but if you don’t come out with the win, it’s back to the drawing board and we gotta double down even more.”
The Spurs, at times, missed De’Aaron Fox’s presence, but Dylan Harper ensured he didn’t cave to the pressure for the most part.
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