Dylan Harper's comments after San Antonio's 124-109 win over Sacramento on Friday say as much about his development as the box score does. TalkBasket reports that Harper scored 19 points with three rebounds and three assists.
He pointed first to the Spurs' balance. "I feel like we're at our best when everyone's touching the ball, everyone's getting to the paint, kicking out, just making the right play for the team," he said, adding that the chemistry comes from how much the group enjoys playing together.
The more telling answer came when he was asked to compare himself with last season. "I definitely was still trying to figure it out," he said. Now, he says, "the game's definitely slowed down for me." The mechanism he describes is repetition: he has seen different combinations and game plans, he is quicker to recognise defensive schemes, and he can adjust his choices accordingly.
One win and one interview do not establish a trend. The useful test is whether that recognition shows in his decisions over the coming weeks, particularly when defences change their coverage after the first look.
