By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-10-30 13:56:44
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
2025年10月26日，周日，在圣安东尼奥的霜冻银行中心举行的马刺队主场揭幕战中，马刺队后卫迪伦·哈珀（2号）在第一节比赛中绕过布鲁克林篮网队前锋诺阿·克劳尼（21号）上篮得分。
马刺队新秀后卫迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 与德克萨斯州历史上最伟大的跑卫之一有着一个共同点。
在家乡罗斯巴德出生、毕业于德州基督教大学的拉达尼安·汤姆林森 (LaDainian Tomlinson)，在他11个赛季的NFL名人堂生涯中，先后效力于圣迭戈闪电队和纽约喷气机队，共冲球推进13684码，拿下145次达阵。他拥有一种天赋，总能发现并冲破进攻锋线中最微小的空隙。
哈珀的教练表示，他在冲击篮筐时，也同样擅长挤过禁区内的狭小缝隙。
“有时候你看跑卫比赛，会不明白他是如何穿过那些其他球员似乎无法通过的空隙或空间的，”米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 说。“迪伦身上就有点这种特质。”
事实证明，19岁的哈珀确实有过冲破微小空当达阵得分的经历。
“我小时候确实打过跑卫，”他在周四的投篮训练后回忆起自己在新泽西州青少年橄榄球联盟中打球的岁月时说道。
“这或许有一定关系，但我认为关键还是在于寻找空隙，努力选择我的攻击点，并朝着任何开放的空间前进，”他补充道。
无论原因为何，这位身高6英尺5英寸、体重220磅，体格强壮的罗格斯大学毕业生在这方面确实表现出色。在周四晚主场对阵迈阿密热火队的比赛前，他是全联盟篮下5英尺内出手次数排名前五的球员中唯一的后卫。他以场均7.8次出手（命中率54.8%）排名第五，仅次于密尔沃基雄鹿队的扬尼斯·阿德托昆博 (Giannis Antetokounmpo)（15.3次，命中率82%）、新奥尔良鹈鹕队的蔡恩·威廉森 (Zion Williamson)（11.0次，命中率48.5%）、马刺队的维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)（8.5次，命中率76.6%）以及亚特兰大老鹰队的杰伦·约翰逊 (Jalen Johnson)（8.3次，命中率72.7%）。
2025年10月24日，周五，新奥尔良。在一场NBA常规赛的上半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫迪伦·哈珀（2号）试图突破新奥尔良鹈鹕队后卫杰里迈亚·菲尔斯（0号）的防守。（美联社图片/彼得·福雷斯特）
总的来看，在对阵热火队的比赛前，哈珀作为替补场均出战26.0分钟，能贡献14.8分、5.2个篮板、4.8次助攻和1.0次抢断，投篮命中率为47.8%。
“他在技术上是多面手，左右手都很出色，技术全面，擅长变速，并且他在这方面（冲击篮筐）拥有一种不可思议的能力，”约翰逊在谈到哈珀为何能如此频繁地攻击篮筐时说。“有时候，像变速、理解角度、让防守失去平衡和位置这些东西是很难教的。而他在选择攻击点这方面做得非常出色。”
哈珀在橄榄球场上也曾同样出色，直到他未来的舞台明显属于篮球场而非橄榄球场——考虑到他显赫的篮球血统，这一点也不足为奇。他的父亲是五届NBA总冠军罗恩·哈珀 (Ron Harper)，他的母亲玛丽亚 (Maria) 也是一名教练，曾是新奥尔良大学的校队球员。据《纽约邮报》报道，从小学到新泽西州拉姆齐市的唐博斯科预备高中，迪伦一直由母亲执教。
“这其实不是我自己的决定，”当被问及何时决定放弃橄榄球时，哈珀说道。“我想这更像是一个家庭的决定。他们当时的意思是，‘你得选一个，然后把它做到极致——那就选篮球吧。’”
作为选秀大会的榜眼，加上他NBA生涯的强势开局，现在看来，他做出了正确的选择。
点击查看原文：How the Spurs' Dylan Harper benefits from having played another sport
How the Spurs’ Dylan Harper benefits from having played another sport
San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) lays the ball in around Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney (21) during the first quarter of the Spurs’ home opener at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025.
Spurs rookie guard Dylan Harper has something in common with one of the greatest running backs from the state of Texas.
In rushing for 13,684 yards and 145 touchdowns in 11 Hall of Fame NFL seasons with the San Diego Chargers and New York Jets, Rosebud native and TCU alumnus LaDainian Tomlinson had a talent for finding and bursting through even the smallest of holes in the offensive line.
Harper has a similar knack for squeezing through narrow seams in the paint on his way to the basket, his coach said.
“Sometimes when you watch a running back, you don’t understand how he gets through certain holes or spaces that it seems like other guys can’t,” Mitch Johnson said. “Dylan has a little bit of that.”
It turns out Harper, 19, also has experience darting through tiny openings to find pay dirt.
“I mean, I did play running back when I was younger,” he said after Thursday’s shootaround of his days toting the pigskin while playing in a youth football league back in New Jersey.
“It might be a little bit of that, but I think it’s just finding holes, just trying to pick my spots and just trying to go to whatever the open spot is,” he added.
Whatever the case may be, the sturdy 6-foot-5, 220-pound Rutgers alumnus excels at it. He entered Thursday night’s home game against Miami as the only guard in the NBA’s top-five list of players attempting shots within 5 feet of the basket, ranking fifth with 7.8 attempts (54.8%) behind Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (15.3, 82%), New Orleans’ Zion Williamson (11.0, 48.5%), the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama (8.5, 76.6%) and Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson (8.3. 72.7%).
San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) attempts a New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears (0) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Peter Forest)
Overall, Harper came into the Miami game averaging 14.8 points on 47.8% shooting from the field, 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 26.0 minutes off the bench.
“He’s multifaceted in terms of being very good with both hands, his skill set, change of speed, and he kind of has an uncanny ability for that,” Johnson said of Harper getting to the rim so frequently. “Sometimes it’s hard to teach in terms of that changing speed, understanding angles, keeping the defense off balance, out of position. And he’s done a really good job of picking his spots.”
It was the same for Harper on the football field, that is until it was apparent his future was on the hardwood and not the gridiron - no surprise given his rich hooping bloodlines. His father is five-time NBA champion Ron Harper and his mother, Maria, is a coach and a former college player at the University of New Orleans who, according to the New York Post, coached Dylan in elementary school all the way through high school at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J.
“It wasn’t really my decision,” Harper said when asked when he decided football wasn’t for him. "I think it was more of a family decision. It was like, ‘You are going to pick one, and you are going to be great at one - pick basketball.’ "
As the No. 2 overall pick in the draft and after a strong start to his NBA career, it looks like he made the right choice.
By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News