Family has been a top priority for Dylan Harper his entire life, and it’s something he hopes he’ll find within his new NBA home, too.
Luckily for the projected No. 2 pick in Wednesday’s NBA draft, team chemistry was one of the first things that stood out when he visited with the Spurs.
“You can just feel the family atmosphere when you walk in the facility,” Harper said Tuesday. “For them it’s really like, ‘How can we get chemistry up? How can we keep everyone together?’ … I can add value to that.”
Family was a recurring theme throughout the former Rutgers star’s media appearance Tuesday, and it goes beyond the blood ties to the NBA — his father, Ron Harper, is a five-time champion, and his brother, Ron Jr., has been in the league for three seasons.
In fact, it was his mom, Maria, who Harper said coached him from elementary school through his senior year of high school and pushed him hardest with basketball.
The trip to San Antonio was a good first impression for the 19-year-old, as he could see his own values within the team.
“Family, loyalty, everything like that. I think the best teams, the greatest teams, their chemistry is through the roof,” he said. “They all hold value to their team — whether you’re the head coach, to the best player, to the 15th man — everyone’s connected and everyone feels equal.”
With the option to attend college virtually anywhere as a five-star recruit out of high school, Harper stayed home in New Jersey, giving him a chance to follow his older brother’s Scarlet Knights legacy and stay close to his hometown of Franklin Lakes.
Now, he’ll leave the state while carrying his morals with him.
“It’s definitely gonna mean a lot to [Ron Sr.] and a lot to everyone else — my mom, my brother, my grandparents and everyone else who’s there,” Harper said. “They kind of see me through the journey and watch me go about my days, even when I was high and low, they still stuck with me no matter what.”
Though there are some concerns over Harper’s fit on a team that already has guards De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle, Harper mentioned Castle as one of the players he has already spoken with several times.
“It looks like a great and fun environment to be a part of,” Harper said.
