Spurs’ Devin Vassell lets slip Dylan Harper was ‘upset with playing time, different roles’ in rookie season

The entire San Antonio Spurs organization may want to get swallowed whole by the earth after blowing a double-digit lead in all of their losses to the New York Knicks in the 2026 NBA Finals, but one man who can hold his head high is Dylan Harper, the rookie out of Rutgers. Harper did not look like he was in his first professional season, as he showed the composure that was necessary in games of this magnitude.

In the end, even Harper’s heroics couldn’t get the Spurs past the Knicks; he missed a layup late in Game 5 that would have tied the game, and that ended up being costly in their season-ending 94-90 defeat. Even then, he has nothing to be embarrassed about. He finished Game 5 with 25 points, five rebounds, and four assists, and he showed that he was never scared — scoring in double figures in all five Finals games.

Bigger things are yet to come for Harper, and it will be hard for the Spurs to keep him on a bench role for long. Even in his rookie season, there were times that he was upset with his role, as Devin Vassell let slip in his season-ending press conference.

“He was upset with playing time and different roles he was in, but when we needed him most, he stepped up. We have a star in the making. I know that he’s gonna put so much work in the offseason,” Vassell said, via Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.

Genuinely fascinating that Vassell says Dylan Harper was upset with playing time and roles throughout the season. pic.twitter.com/QBj5IpJBD2

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) June 14, 2026

It’s not quite clear what the Spurs do from here on out. Harper showed in this year’s playoffs that he’s ready for a starting role. Alas, he’s behind De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle on the depth chart. It became clear during crunch time in the 2026 NBA Finals that the Spurs had to play their guys out of position to accommodate for as much talent on the court as possible.

Harper is undeniable, however, so expect the Spurs to do what they can to clear the runway for their talented rookie.

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