Entering the 2026-27 NBA season, his second as a pro, Dylan Harper feels a lot like 2002 Tom Brady. Don't take that out of context. That is not a suggestion that Harper, who's still five months shy of his 21st birthday, is in line for a Brady-like career, though we can all agree his potential seems virtually limitless.
But in 2002, nobody would've said Brady was going to wind up as the greatest quarterback to ever play. At that time, we only had one postseason run -- as incredible as it was in leading the Patriots to an unlikely Super Bowl victory over the Rams -- to go off. But that was enough to know we were watching the birth of a special player.
Same deal with Harper, who went from an obviously good player with an obviously bright future during his first NBA regular season to something nobody saw coming, at least not this quickly, in his first postseason run with the Spurs. No, it didn't end in a championship as Brady's first postseason did. The Spurs knocked out the defending champion Thunder in seven games in the conference finals and held the lead for 72% of the total minutes played against the Knicks in the Finals, and Harper -- no disrespect to 2002 Brady here -- wasn't out there managing games.
Flat out taking them over on the biggest stages. Corral shootout with Scoot Henderson in the first round. Dylan Harper goes nuclear in his first road playoff game after Scoot Henderson talks shit to him https://t.co/d24E7NJBv4 pic.twitter.com/XJwwLhMcVY There were the 51 points and 22 rebounds on 19-of-29 shooting over the final three games of San Antonio's second-round win over the two-time reigning conference finalist Timberwolves, a run that included one of the nastiest full-speed dribble sequences you'll see on an NBA court.
This move by Dylan Harper in Game 5 was filthy 😳 (h/t manuginobili/X, bannedroomE/X)Watch Game 6 of Spurs-Timberwolves TOMORROW on @primevideoph at 9:30 AM PHT 🔥#NBAonPrimeVideoPH pic.twitter.com/FtOju5Su4g All of that was off the bench. When Harper got his actual first career playoff start in Game 1 of the conference finals, which De'Aaron Fox missed with an ankle injury, he handed the Thunder 24 points, 11 rebounds, seven steals and six assists over 47 minutes in a double-overtime Spurs win. Dylan Harper first career start of the NBA playoffs in the WCF vs OKC. - 24 PTS- 11 REB- 6 AST- 7 STL- 8/20 FG - 7/7 FT- +14 +/-- 47 MINFuture All NBA player 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Seg9NBXtte In a sign of things to come, Harper combined for 30 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists on 11-of-17 shooting and 66% from 3 over games 6 and 7 against OKC to send San Antonio to the Finals, where he proceeded to put 18 PPG on the Knicks -- the second-highest per-game scoring average in history by a rookie in the Finals -- with 56 coming in Games 4 and 5 when he was, for real stretches, the best player on a floor that included the likes of Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama. '26 Dylan Harper Finals Tape • 18 PPG on 57% Ts • Most PPG in the Finals by a rookie since Magic. • Youngest player to score 25 in a Finals game.
Finals run in his rookie season. https://t.co/KkX1iyHgdc pic.twitter.com/GIfH93otUF Harper was so good in last year's playoffs, it's almost hard to put into words. He already looks like one of the toughest through-contact finishers in the league. His craft and strength are way beyond his years.
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