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If the San Antonio Spurs are going to go on a deep playoff run, they'll need contributions from up and down the roster.
Obviously, MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama will do a lot of the heavy lifting for San Antonio, but he'll need help. That's where rookie guard Dylan Harper comes in.
Dylan Harper named Spurs' playoff X-factor
After promising first regular season, Harper will need to step his game up for postseason play, and the degree to which he is able to do so could go a long way towards determining how far the Spurs will be able to advance.
As a result, Harper was recently named San Antonio's playoff X-factor by Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports.
"Well, as of late Harper is elite at shooting. Over his last 32 games, he shot 45.6% from 3, and granted it was on a low volume, it’s an incredibly impressive development for him. His shot looks fluid, and he’s even shooting a better percentage from the line and from midrange too," O'Connor wrote.
"So all indicators are looking positive for Harper, which is what makes him the X-factor: Wemby was a 29-minute-per-game guy during the season. He didn't play over 40 minutes once. Who's going to help fill the gaps when Wemby is on the bench? A lot of the time, it’s going to have to be Harper. And he looks capable."
The word "unproven" being in the headline of this article isn't meant on a diss on Harper at all. It's simply a fact. As a rookie, Harper has never played in a playoff game before, so by definition he's unproven.
But, he'll have an excellent opportunity to prove himself in the coming weeks.
This story will be updated.
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