Dylan Harper heads Yahoo Sports’ NBA sophomore watchlist for 2026–27
The San Antonio Spurs guard enters his second season after an efficient rookie campaign and a strong playoff run.
Yahoo Sports has highlighted Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey among five NBA players entering their second seasons, examining the roles and development challenges that could shape their 2026–27 campaigns. The full list was not provided in the supplied article material.
Harper, selected second overall in the 2025 NBA Draft after playing at Rutgers, emerged as a key reserve for the San Antonio Spurs during his rookie season. Yahoo Sports reported that he averaged 11.8 points and 3.9 assists in 22.6 minutes per game, while shooting 50.5 per cent from the field.
The Spurs reportedly won 62 games and secured the Western Conference’s second seed. Yahoo Sports said Harper became more productive and efficient during San Antonio’s run to the NBA Finals, while also holding up defensively against prominent opponents including Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Brunson.
The assessment places Harper among the more consequential second-year players to monitor, although his expected role in 2026–27 remains a projection. His progression could be shaped by whether San Antonio expands his responsibilities beyond the bench role he occupied during the regular season.
Yahoo Sports excluded the top three finishers in 2025–26 Rookie of the Year voting—Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and VJ Edgecombe—from its five-player selection.
