San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper underwent surgery to repair the collateral ligament that had been torn on his left thumb and injured in preseason exercise Wednesday.
Dylan Harper hopes to return to the season opener in time
ESPN’s Shams Charania said Harper, 19, may be ready to compete for the start of the 2025-26 regular season. The Spurs will open on October 22 for the Dallas Mavericks.
If Harper can return to San Antonio’s season opener in time, he will face rookie Cooper Flagg, the number one pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
San Antonio selected Harper at this year’s draft at Rutgers University. He is also the highest player in school history.
Dylan Harper by @spurs In 2025 #nbadraft Proposed by State Farm!
Watch on ABC and ESPN. pic.twitter.com/myissvj3pt
– NBA (@NBA) June 26, 2025
“I feel all the emotions right now,” Harper said after the choice. “I’m so excited, I’m ready. It’s going to bring the best results when you play with a bunch of great players. San Antonio has a great young core. I’m just ready to get in there and make an impact with them as much as I can.”
In his 29 games (28 games) of his lonely college season with Rutgers, he averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 32.6 minutes per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 33.3% from the field.
Harper, the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, was named the third team to the all-around ten, while the Scarlet Cavaliers were named the top 10.
Harper scored the highest in Rutgers history
For every college basketball reference, Harper scored 11th points (564), assists (117), steals (42), shots 11th, 13th (194), free throws 13th (126), player efficiency 7th, 7th (24.6), third, usage percentage (29%) (29%).
In one season in school history, his 564 points were the most points for freshmen.
Harper had several notable outings last season, including a 36-pointer in overtime against Notre Dame on November 26, a 37-pointer against Alabama a day later, and a triple-double against Colombia on December 3.
This is the first pair of Scarlet Knights since Roy Hinson in 1983.
The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 16 points and four rebounds in two summer league games in July after this year’s NBA draft.
Harper is expected to join De’aaron Fox, with the past two NBA rookies (Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle) in the San Antonio rotation this season.
However, he may miss the first week of the regular season.
