Dylan Harper and Victor Wenbanyama played together for the first time.
The San Antonio Spurs started the preseason without 2025 NBA Draft No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper.
Harper was sidelined with a torn ligament in his left thumb. The injury sidelined him for more than a month.
However, Harper finally made his Spurs debut during the highly anticipated matchup against Ace Bailey and the Utah Jazz.
The preseason matchup was incredible, with both teams unable to pull away after four quarters. In the end, the Spurs won in overtime, 134-130.
After the game, Spurs’ Victor Wembaneyama gave his honest thoughts on Harper’s preseason team debut.
“It’s great. It’s been a while. He’s been back practicing for a few days, but I’m happy to be on the court with him,” Wenbanyama said after the game.
He added: “He looks ready, he looks very comfortable and he’s already throwing passes. I’m very confident and I’m very happy to be on the court with him.”
Harper played 18 minutes in his debut and had nine points and three assists. It was a great performance from the Spurs rookie considering he was coming back from injury.
The combination of Harper and Wembaneyama has the chance to be something special for Spurs in the future. But for that to happen, the two stars need to develop a chemical reaction.
After his first game against Wenby, Harper admitted he was learning to play with the 7ft 4in star.
“I should have (thrown) higher. I should have thrown higher. It’s weird. I don’t think anyone has ever played with a guy that tall. Just go out there and throw it and you’ll think I threw it too high. I should have thrown it higher. I should have thrown it higher.”
“But when he catches it, you go, ‘That’s a little too low.’” When you throw to him, you have to turn your head,” Harper admitted.
Being team-mate of the French prodigy isn’t as easy as it looks, but Harper seems keen to adjust his game to be a better fit alongside Wembaneyama.