Spurs Rookie Star Dylan Harper Set to Miss Weeks

The San Antonio Spurs will reportedly be missing one of their promising young talents for the foreseeable future.

Not all of the kids, alas, are all right for the San Antonio Spurs.

Per Shams Charania of ESPN, Spurs guard Dylan Harper, the most recent No. 2 pick of the NBA Draft, is expected to miss “multiple weeks” after enduring a calf strain in Sunday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns. Harper is the son of former NBA veteran and five-time champion Ron Harper, who is best-known for his time with the Chicago Bulls.

The younger Harper averaged 14 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in six showings off the bench for the Spurs, who won each of their first five games before falling to Phoenix on Sunday. The Rutgers alum flirted with a triple-double last Monday, grouping 20 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in an infantile career night against the Brooklyn Nets.

dylan harper’s rim pressure powers translated immediately to the NBA, he currently ranks 11th in the NBA in rim attempts per game (6.2) and is 72nd percentile in fta/75 (4.5)

the burst, craft and strength all pop even as harper adjusts to scoring on NBA defenses pic.twitter.com/wnFFWFU0nd

— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) November 3, 2025

Harper turned heads with his sterling high school career at Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), which saw him earn the MVP Award at both the McDonald’s All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic. In addition to being a first five High School All-American Elite Team selection, Harper was also bestowed the Morgan Wooten National Player of the Year in 2024, an honor previously earned by LeBron James, Dwight Howard, and Kevin Love.

“He’s obviously got a lot of skill and ability at his disposal,” veteran Spurs center Luke Kornet said in a preseason assessment, per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “But I’ve been pretty impressed in terms of his awareness of the game, understanding how to play it and how things all fit together.”

In San Antonio, Harper was coming off the bench behind reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and made up for the early absence of De’Aaron Fox, who has been sidelined with a hamstring issue. Led by franchise face Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs have gotten off to a scorching start despite several injuries, as tenured project Jeremy Sochan (wrist) and offseason addition Kornet (ankle) are also among the ailing.

With Harper out, the Spurs could turn to veteran journeyman Jordan McLaughlin for an extended opportunity. The 29-year-old, who was acquired with Fox in last year’s deadline deal with the Sacramento Kings, appeared in 18 games with the Spurs last season, averaging 2.5 points on over 53 percent from the field in less than seven minutes a showing.

San Antonio returns to action on Wednesday night when it faces a nationally-televised tilt against the Los Angeles Lakers (9 p.m. CT, ESPN).

Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags