“Gon be a star in the future” - NBA fans react to resurfaced quote of Spurs rookie Dylan Harper seeking inspiration from ex-MVP's bench-to-star arc

Dylan Harper was selected with the second pick in the 2025 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs. During an appearance on Carmelo Anthony’s “7pm in Brooklyn” podcast on June 26, he talked about the possibility of coming off the bench for the Spurs during his rookie season.

The former Rutgers star sought inspiration from former MVP James Harden, who came off the bench during his formative years at the OKC Thunder.

Harper's comments have resurfaced this week, with Legions Hoops sharing them on X:

“James Harden was with the Thunder and came off the bench for 3-4 years waiting his turn… so everyone gotta wait for theirs.”

Legion Hoops

@LegionHoops

Dylan Harper on possibly coming off the bench for the Spurs: “James Harden was with the Thunder and came off the bench for 3-4 years waiting his turn… so everyone gotta wait for theirs.” Harper was the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. (via @7PMinBrooklyn)

Fans on social media responded to the comment. One fan on X praised him and predicted he would be a star:

Soab

@77soab

@LegionHoops @7PMinBrooklyn Dylan gon be a star in the future

Other fans on X shared the same sentiments:

Jay

@YngJackieAprile

@LegionHoops @7PMinBrooklyn smart kid. great guy and a great hooper. he’ll be very successful in this league 🙌

Methuselah

@Methuselah360

@LegionHoops @7PMinBrooklyn Perfect mentality 👏

Stephbetter

@striclyhoops

@LegionHoops @7PMinBrooklyn Very good mindset for him to have

More fans praised Dylan Harper's attitude:

Anshumaan!

@ansh_manutd

@LegionHoops @7PMinBrooklyn Right mentality ngl

Jacob Frost

@JacobFrost0

@LegionHoops @7PMinBrooklyn I love this kid already. Perfect response!!

LA Clippers star James Harden was selected with the third pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Thunder. He came off the bench behind Thabo Sefolosha, who was the starting shooting guard due to his defense and fit alongside established young stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

In his rookie season, Harden played 76 games, starting none. He averaged 9.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals per contest, shooting 40.3% FG, 37.5% 3PT and 80.8% FT as he went from sixth man to MVP candidate in just a few years.

Dylan Harper was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs after an impressive college season at Rutgers. He averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game on 48% shooting in his freshman year.

He became the third consecutive Spurs pick to come with Rookie of the Year expectations, following Victor Wembanyama (2023, No. 1) and Stephon Castle (2024, No. 4). Harper’s selection has been seen as a smart move in a solid offseason for the Spurs.

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What’s next for Dylan Harper and the San Antonio Spurs?

Dylan Harper joins the league with huge expectations following a successful college season. While he might take time to usurp his more experienced teammates, he will likely be the first guard off the bench.

Dylan Harper against Cody Williams - Source: Imagn

Playing alongside De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle will give him mentors in different guard archetypes. This year will be about Harper adjusting to the league’s intense pace, decision-making and working on his defense against elite guards.

While everything orbits around Wembanyama, the goal is to surround Wemby with versatile and unselfish guards in Fox, Castle and Harper. San Antonio (34-48) will hope to do better than the 13th-place finish of last season and make the playoffs for the first time since the 2018/19 season.