
No. 2 scorer Stojakovic returns to loaded Illinois
Andrej Stojakovic is back at Illinois for his senior year, boosting their title hopes!
Rookie guard Dylan Harper is identified as the San Antonio Spurs' playoff X-factor. His performance will be crucial for the team's success alongside MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama.
Unproven rookie guard named San Antonio Spurs' playoff X-factor originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
If the San Antonio Spurs are going to go on a deep playoff run, they'll need contributions from up and down the roster.
Obviously, MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama will do a lot of the heavy lifting for San Antonio, but he'll need help. That's where rookie guard Dylan Harper comes in.
After promising first regular season, Harper will need to step his game up for postseason play, and the degree to which he is able to do so could go a long way towards determining how far the Spurs will be able to advance.
As a result, Harper was recently named San Antonio's playoff X-factor by Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports.
"Well, as of late Harper is elite at shooting. Over his last 32 games, he shot 45.6% from 3, and granted it was on a low volume, it’s an incredibly impressive development for him. His shot looks fluid, and he’s even shooting a better percentage from the line and from midrange too," O'Connor wrote.
"So all indicators are looking positive for Harper, which is what makes him the X-factor: Wemby was a 29-minute-per-game guy during the season. He didn't play over 40 minutes once. Who's going to help fill the gaps when Wemby is on the bench? A lot of the time, it’s going to have to be Harper. And he looks capable."
The word "unproven" being in the headline of this article isn't meant on a diss on Harper at all. It's simply a fact. As a rookie, Harper has never played in a playoff game before, so by definition he's unproven.
Dylan Harper, a rookie guard, has been named the Spurs' playoff X-factor.
Dylan Harper will need to elevate his game to support MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama in the playoffs.
Harper's contributions could significantly influence how far the Spurs advance in the postseason.

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But, he'll have an excellent opportunity to prove himself in the coming weeks.
This story will be updated.
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