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The next man up mentality is still alive in the San Antonio Spurs system. Victor Wembanyama got ejected because of a Flagrant 2 foul which meant that Coach Mitch Johnson was left to scour for answers. Dylan Harper was the one to step up in Game 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite the rough 114-109 loss, he still achieved an NBA Playoffs record last touched by Manu Ginobili.
Harper reaches new NBA Playoffs heights in Game 4, equals Ginobili
What happens when Victor Wembanyama only plays 12 minutes due to an ejection? The Spurs start to scuffle for a star to step up. Coach Mitch Johnson adjusted well against the Timberwolves. He let Dylan Harper play 27 minutes off the bench and this decision nearly got them the Game 4 win.
The Spurs rookie scored 24 points to go 72.7% from the field and 100% from his shots from beyond the arc. He was also perfect from the free throw line after being given seven attempts. Coach Johnson saw him become a defensive menace too. Harper grabbed seven rebounds and notched three steals to take away a chunk of momentum from the Timberwolves.
Harper has now become the first rookie off the Spurs bench with a 20+ point, 5+ rebounds, and 2+ steals in the NBA Playoffs since Manu Ginobili, per StatMuse. How long ago has that been? Well, Ginobili accomplished those numbers back in the 2003 NBA Playoffs which was 23 years ago.
Things are starting to fall into place for the Spurs. Once they get Wembanyama back and Harper continues to play like this off the bench, Coach Johnson will get some insane depth. All of these could get them back to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2017.
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