The NBA Should’ve NEVER Let the Spurs Get This Good

The NBA Should’ve NEVER Let the Spurs Get This Good

mark my words when the San Antonio Spurs are completely dominating the NBA in a few years time and everyone’s sitting around complaining and wondering how it happened last night’s draft will be the exact moment that tells you the story and what makes it all the more painful for the rest of the league is that this all could have been prevented but it wasn’t the Spurs just won the NBA draft again and there’s a real case to be made that they’ve now won it for the past three straight years quietly setting up a potential dynasty window it all started with Victor Wemboryama one of the most hyped up prospects in the history of professional sports then last season they landed Stefan Castle who not only lived up to the expectations but actually walked home with the Rookie of the Year award and just continued to get better as the season went on and now they’ve done it again grabbing Dylan Harper with the second overall pick and Carter Bryant with the 14th two more high upside long-term pieces who fit perfectly into their growing machine and let’s not forget they also added De’aran Fox at the deadline that’s Wemi the reigning rookie of the year a certified All-Star point guard and now two more blue chip prospects all under the one roof it’s not just that they’re rebuilding it’s that they might be building something terrifying once again let’s start with Dylan Harper because from the moment the Spurs landed the second overall pick in the NBA draft lottery the selection felt almost inevitable it didn’t matter that the point guard position wasn’t a position of need with Castle and Fox already on the roster Harper was just simply too good to pass up the Spurs knew they could address their other needs later on in the draft and they did more on Carter Bryant soon but the selection of Dylan Harper was purely because of the talent harper is a 66 point guard with the kind of poise and creativity that does not come around often he can carve up defenses with his handle use patient and sharp footwork to get to the paint and finish through contact he’s not a blur in the open court but he doesn’t need to be everything Harper does is deliberate and under control think of a James Harden or a Cade Cunningham when it comes to his point guard skills while being oversized for that position along with the footwork of Jaylen Brunson all mixed in the way he manipulates defenders with fakes pauses and hesitations he is able to constantly change the rhythm and as a result put any defender on the back foot there’s real craft to his game harper already has the full offensive toolkit euro steps step backs spins and floaters as he knows exactly how to create space in tight quarters and while adding him does create some short-term questions especially about De’Aran Fox’s future with an extension looming Harper’s ability to play off the ball is also underrated he’s shown real promise as a catch andoot threat on a team with two elite primary weapons like Fox and Webyama and that skill could be key early on it also takes the pressure off of Harper to be a full-blown lead playmaker from day one even though he’s more than capable of one day achieving that one of the most enticing parts of his game is his command in the pick and roll his feel for timing how he splits hedges creates four- situations and threads live dribble passes through seams that barely exist as all of these skills are ridiculous for someone who just turned 19 once he has a defender on his hip he’s already scanning the floor waiting for the last possible second to hit an open cutter or a lob to a rolling pick and now with Wembley as that target this is the kind of pick and roll connection that could be devastating for years to come now there are still areas that Harper needs to work on he can be overly reliant on ball screens and his isolation scoring isn’t yet a true strength he’s a decent spot-up shooter but still is working on the consistency on his pull-up jumper despite the flashes his defensive effort wavered at time in college though that might be more about the context on playing with a struggling team rather than a lack of ability he has the size strength and all of the instincts to become very good on that end and the Spurs system could likely help him to achieve that as well but make no mistake Harper was drafted for what he’s able to do on the offensive end his ability to break down a defense his feel for the game and his potential to be a long-term backcourt star along Victor Weimyama the Spurs did not pick for fit they picked for firepower and Harper has all of the tools to become something truly special but the Spurs weren’t finished yet after securing Dylan Harper at number two they turned their attention to one area on the roster that still needed a jolt of young talent the forward spot and sure enough with the 14th overall pick they got their guy Carter Bryant now on paper Bryant’s stats from Arizona might not blow you away he played a limited role had a low usage rate one of the lowest of any projected top 30 pick in fact and didn’t have any flashy numbers to point to but if you watched him play it was pretty obvious Bryant passed the eye test in every possible way his frame is built for the modern league long rangy and explosive he’s a blur in transition a constant threat as a cutter and most importantly a reliable catch and shoot option from deep everything he did in the smaller role he did efficiently and effectively and that alone made him a valuable offensive piece but his real upside that’s on the defensive end bryant is a monster when it comes to defensive playmaking his ability to elevate and hang in the air gives him a rare shot blocking versatility for a wing he doesn’t just time blocks well he often beats the shooter to their own release point whether it’s weakside help closeouts or chasedowns Bryant seems to see things unfold a split second before anybody else that anticipation paired with his athletic ability makes his blocks feel like magic at times he’s everywhere all at once but that aggression does come at a cost his foul rate is unusually high for his position more in line with a big man than a wing something that teams typically have to manage but still that kind of chaoscreating defender especially one who can switch and cover multiple positions is exactly what every team is searching for right now in the NBA offensively he might not have shown much in terms of on ball creation but he doesn’t need to bryant excels as a play finisher he spaces the floor he cuts into open lanes with a purpose and he makes the right reads when the ball swings his way he nearly shot 40% from deep in conference play and that’s no fluke his shooting touch has been there since high school he might not have the ceiling of a go-to scorer but in a league that’s always hunting for versatile 3 and D wings Carter Bryant is the real deal he’s the kind of player that every team hopes to find one who doesn’t compromise on size shooting or defense and somehow he fell right into the Spurs lap honestly I have no idea how he dropped that far going into the draft most expected him to go closer to 10 he fits the modern game perfectly and somehow when the dust settled there he was waiting for San Antonio to pick him up this is the kind of moment we’ll look back on and say “Yeah that’s when it all came together.” And this is exactly what I meant in the beginning of the video when I said everyone down the line is going to be asking how the Spurs got so good so quickly and you’ll be able to point right to this moment especially you New Orleans the Pelicans held a valuable asset an unprotected 2026 Milwaukee Bucks first round pick but flipped it to Atlanta just to select at 13 only to then pass up on Bryant and take queen instead even though they already had a capable big invesy Fox and now Dylan Harper carter Bryant brings the exact skill set they needed a wing who can defend shoot and finish plays without ever needing the ball in his hands the Spurs didn’t just draft for the future they drafted for their future and it looks absolutely terrifying so just how good could these two draft picks Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant make the Spurs right away and what kind of immediate impact could they have on the trajectory of the team next season well assuming the basketball gods are kind to the Spurs this season avoiding any major injuries they’re going to be significantly better even without the draft San Antonio would have already been in line for a jump in the win column based on health alone remember Victor Wemama was ruled out for half the season after blood clots were discovered in his shoulder in January an incredibly serious setback for a team that looked like they might make a playoff appearance with WBY healthy and ready to go again the baseline alone makes this team more competitive but what’s really going to fuel their rise is the internal competition that’s about to heat up right now if we’re projecting opening night De’aran Fox and Stefan Castle are likely to be the starters in the back court which would push Dylan Harper to a six-man role to begin the season but that setup is far from locked in if Harper comes out of training camp and starts to outplay either Fox or Castle especially Fox who the Spurs only just acquired at last season’s trade deadline then that opens up some serious questions about the team’s long-term objective fox is a star no doubt but the moment San Antonio went out and drafted another offensively minded guard with real star upside it added pressure pressure for Fox to perform pressure to prove that he’s the guy and that tension could turn into something really exciting for the group carter Bryant faces a similar situation just at a different position the small forward spot the starting three is likely his target but it’s not going to be handed to him either more than likely Devin Vel or Jeremy Sohan will be the starters at the forward spots to begin the year but Bryant is going to have to push them and again that’s the point there’s going to be real competition in practice every single day players fighting for spots sharpening one another getting better just by the level of talent they’re being surrounded with it’s a great problem to have the best kind because when a team is young loaded with skill and focus to earn their place that’s where you see the biggest leaps possible but maybe the most important part of all of this and easily the most exciting is what we’re about to see from year 3 Victor Weimyama and if you know anything about how NBA development tends to work you’ll know that year three is when a lot of superstars make that massive leap if that’s the case for WBY if he makes the jump into MVP level dominance then the Spurs aren’t just heading in the right direction they might be arriving next season they might be flatout dangerous right now but the Western Conference is a brutal battleground no doubt however San Antonio appear to be loading up for war but before the Spurs can truly think about competing for the Western Conference they first have to take control of their own state because the Houston Rockets are going to be even scarier next season after adding Kevin Durant and you can watch that full breakdown right now

The NBA Should’ve NEVER Let the Spurs Get This Good

Mark my words—when the San Antonio Spurs are completely dominating the NBA in a few years and everyone’s sitting around complaining and wondering how it happened, last night’s draft will be the exact moment that tells the story. And what makes it all the more painful for the rest of the league is that this could’ve been stopped. But it wasn’t. Now we’re all going to have to watch it unfold. The Spurs just won the NBA Draft again—and there’s a real case to be made that they’ve actually won it three years in a row, quietly setting up a potential dynasty. It started with Victor Wembanyama, the most hyped prospect in the history of professional sports. Then last season they landed Stephon Castle, who not only lived up to expectations but won Rookie of the Year and kept getting better as the season went on. Now, they’ve done it again—grabbing Dylan Harper with the second pick and Carter Bryant at 14. Two more high-upside, long-term pieces who fit perfectly into their growing machine. And let’s not forget, they also have De’Aaron Fox. That’s Wemby, the reigning Rookie of the Year, a certified All-Star guard, and now two more blue-chip prospects—all under the Spurs’ system, all under Gregg Popovich’s vision. It’s not just that they’re rebuilding—it’s that they might be building something terrifying. Again…
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