The star of the Spurs who has made people forget Wembanyama's absence in the playoffs

San Antonio Spurs found an unexpected answer at a delicate moment in the 1st round series of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Without Victor Wembanyama, absent due to a concussion suffered in the second game, the Texan team managed to prevail 120-108 against the Portland Trail Blazers and take a 2-1 lead thanks to a comeback built on the energy of their youngest players.

The main protagonist was Dylan Harper, who coming off the bench scored 27 points, 22 of them in the second half, in addition to grabbing 10 rebounds. Alongside him, Stephon Castle led the attack with 33 points and five assists, in a performance that sustained the Spurs in the most demanding moments.

The impact of both was not only reflected on the scoreboard. Harper and Castle became the second pair of players aged 21 or younger to each score at least 25 points in a playoff game, a feat that places them alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who achieved it in 2010 with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Furthermore, Castle entered the franchise's history by becoming the youngest Spurs player (21 years and 174 days old) to record a playoff game with at least 30 points and five assists, confirming the increasing influence of this new generation within the team.

The game-changing reaction

The turning point came in the third quarter when San Antonio was trailing by 15 points. It was then that the young duo led an 18-3 run that turned the game around. Harper was responsible for finishing that stretch from the free-throw line, tying the score at 85 and igniting the definitive comeback for his team.

That comeback marked the largest in playoffs for the Spurs since the fifth game of the 2014 NBA Finals, a statistic that highlights the magnitude of the turnaround in the game.

A different role, same mentality

For Harper, the impact had an added value due to the context. The left-handed guard, accustomed to a different type of role, has had to adapt to a sixth-man role, something he acknowledged after the game: "I play a role I'm not used to [coming off the bench]."

However, he found a clear reference within the franchise's history: Manu Ginóbili, a Spurs legend and current team advisor. "But he made me understand that you have to influence the game in any way possible," explained Harper, emphasizing the impact of his conversations with the former player.

Ginóbili's teachings

The relationship with Ginóbili has been key to his adaptation. Harper explained how those talks have shaped his mental approach: "We talked about my role and things like that." Beyond the tactical aspect, the learning has been primarily emotional and competitive: "The next game is the next game. If you have a bad game, as soon as you step out of the shower, you're already thinking about the next one."

This change in mentality is also reflected in his evolution within the series, as in the first two games he had only scored 16 points before exploding in this third encounter.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La estrella de los Spurs que ha hecho olvidar la ausencia de Wembanyama en playoffs