San Antonio Spurs rookie guard Dylan Harper faced off against the only player selected ahead of him in the draft during a Saturday Summer League clash: Dallas Mavericks rookie forward Cooper Flagg.
The game marked Harper's first Summer League contest ever after being sidelined with a groin ailment. Flagg was the No. 1 pick out of Duke last month, while Harper went No. 2 out of Rutgers.
San Antonio and Harper prevailed eventually, 76-69. But Flagg put on a show. His 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting from the floor included amid a flurry of appetizing dunks. Harper notched 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field.
“[There’s] not a better time to come back [from an injury than] in a game like this and a crowd as electrifying as this,” Harper said. “He had a good game. I had a good game. We kind of just showed the NBA world what we’re about.”
The Spurs' other lottery selection this summer, No. 14 pick swingman Carter Bryant, appeared to get Flagg out of rhythm frequently with his hounding defense.
San Antonio Summer League coach Mike Noyes raved about Harper's output specifically.
"[Harper] was great, and you felt his impact," Noyes said. "The stints were a little bit short he would say. He hasn't played a game in a long time. So, we tried to manage that properly. When he was out there, he was playing hard, making the right play."
Harper spoke about his budding rivalry against Flagg's Mavericks.
“We’re going to play them a lot this year,” Harper said. “So, the future battles are going to be great. One thing that we’ve both got: We’re just competitors. We’re going to go out and compete.”
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