Dylan Harper makes people forget about Victor Wembanyama

Monday night at the Smoothie King Center delivered one of the most memorable exhibitions of the season for NBA rookies. The matchup between San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans, which ended with a 135-132 victory for the Texans, was marked by the brilliance of two rookies: Dylan Harper and Derik Queen. The former is making people forget about the almost always injured lately Victor Wembanyama.

Queen, selected with the 13th pick in the draft, had a historic night with 33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and four blocks. According to ESPN Research, he became the first rookie center in the league's history to achieve a triple-double of at least 30 points. "I'm happy for him," he said about Harper. "I played against him in college, I've known him for a long time, and we've been competing even in high school. I hope to have many more battles against him. I think I saw someone on Twitter saying that the next draft class was going to be better than ours or something like that."

Harper, on the other hand, responded with the best game of his young career: 22 points, three rebounds, and six assists for the number 2 pick in the draft. His determination was evident in the decisive play when he surpassed Saddiq Bey with 9.1 seconds to play and scored a right-handed layup that gave the Spurs a minimal lead. "At the beginning of the year, I was a bit hesitant, a bit unsure. I was the new kid trying to find my role," he explained. "But as the season progressed, my teammates and coaches encouraged me to be myself. Plays like that show that I'm going to attack the rim no matter what." Tremendous for the man who is making people forget about Wembanyama.

The Pelicans' interim coach, James Borrego, highlighted the work of his rookie. "It was a special night for him. He was great. He did a great job on defense, on the boards, and controlling the offense. We executed a big part of our system through him. It was fantastic." His performance was particularly decisive in the third quarter, where he scored 21 points and dished out 5 assists without turnovers. This put him in the company of LeBron James, Brandon Ingram, and Tyus Jones as the only players in the play-by-play era to have a quarter with at least 20 points and 5 assists without turnovers. In that period, Queen was perfect from the field (6 for 6) and made all his nine free throws. New Orleans won the quarter 45-23, overcoming a 25-point deficit.

Nail-Biting Finish

However, Queen's attempt to equalize or take the lead in the final seconds did not find its mark: his three-pointer from the top of the key bounced off the rim with 3.1 seconds remaining. "I'm pretty disappointed with how we came out in the second half," admitted Spurs' coach, Mitch Johnson. "They played hard, didn't give up, made important shots, and turned the game around."

Harper, who scored 9 points in the final quarter, summed up the competitive spirit of his generation. "All of us in the class of 2025 grew up playing against older rivals. We love to compete."

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