The San Antonio Spurs kicked off their Summer League slate with three games at the California Classic. Results were mixed — a blowout loss in the opener, followed by a two-point win and a one-point loss. But this is all just a warmup for the summer's marquee event, the Las Vegas Summer League and (hopefully) the debut of No. 2 pick Dylan Harper.
Harper missed the Spurs' first three Summer League games with what a team official described as a "minor groin injury" to the San-Antonio Express News. He traveled with the team for those first three games but didn't dress for any of them. The Spurs were reportedly hoping he would be able to play for their first game in Las Vegas — July 10 against No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe and the Philadelphia 76ers.
However, they later announced that he would sit out this first Vegas Summer League game as well, with his planned debut pushed to Saturday. The 76ers also announced that Edgecombe would miss the same game — his third consecutive absence as he recovered from a sprained thumb.
What to expect from Dylan Harper during Summer League
Harper will be stepping onto an NBA roster with two established point guards — De'Aaron Fox and last season's Rookie of the Year, Stephon Castle — and will likely come off the bench and work his way up to primary ball-handling responsibilities. That won't be the case at Summer League, where he will almost certainly start and be in charge of running the offense.
Summer League can be a chaotic situation, and so don't be surprised if Harper looks for his shot a bit more than he might once he's playing with the Spurs veterans and other young stars. He averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game during his lone season at Rutgers and his size, shot-making and savvy are expected to be key building blocks for the Spurs both now and in the future.
The Spurs' Summer League roster also features No. 14 pick Carter Bryant and Harrison Ingram, the No. 48 pick in last year's draft. Bryant has had some impressive moments, putting up 16 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks in 45 minutes across two games. But he's also piled up 7 turnovers and 11 fouls and seems likely to spend a good chunk of this season with the Spurs' G League affiliate.
In Harper's absence, David Jones-Garcia has been a one-man offensive show for the Spurs. The 6-foot-4 guard went undrafted in 2024 after playing for DePaul, St. John's and Memphis in three college seasons. He spent last year with the Mexico City Capitanes and played 13 games for the Jazz's G League affiliate on a two-way contract. Jones-Garcia has led the Spurs in scoring in all three Summer League games so far, averaging 22.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game, shooting 8-of-17 from beyond the arc.
Will Dylan Harper play against Cooper Flagg at Summer League?
Even without the matchup against Edgecombe on July 10, Harper should get a chance to show off against several other top picks. The Spurs' Summer League schedule includes games against Cooper Flagg and the Mavs on July 12, No. 5 pick and former teammate Ace Bailey (with the Jazz) on July 14 and No. 4 pick Kon Knueppel and the Hornets on July 17.