NBA legend Nash likens Harper’s career path to his own
Filipino American NBA rookie Dylan Harper may not be making the kind of noise expected of him when the San Antonio Spurs drafted him. But that didn’t stop legendary point guard Steve Nash from taking notice.
During an online interview on Tuesday midnight, Nash tipped his hat to Harper for playing within his role for the Spurs, who are set to enter the NBA Playoffs in a few weeks.
“Dylan’s an incredible talent. If he were in a different situation, maybe a non-Playoff situation where they need a point guard, he’d be having a Rookie of the Year season for sure, in my opinion,” Nash said at a press conference presented by NBA on Prime.
“He’s done a great job, in my opinion, embracing his role as I did before.”
As the second overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, selected by a team that has seemingly done its homework based on its recent selections, much was expected of Harper.
Then again, when you are drafted by a team that has just selected one Victor Wembanyama, taking a backseat isn’t much of a knock.
But Harper has managed to hold his own on a team that features former top rookies Wembanyama and Stephon Castle.
Because of Harper’s contributions, the Spurs are currently No. 2 in the Western Conference with a 60-19 record, just three games behind the defending champions, Oklahoma City Thunder (63-16).
Seeing Harper’s patience and readiness reminded Nash of his old self.
“I went to a team that had Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson and I embraced that I wasn’t on a bad team. I got to watch them compete in practice and it was an opportunity for me to learn and grow,” Nash said.
