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Welcome to Pounding the Rock’s 2025-26 player reviews! The series will look at the players who finished the season with the San Antonio Spurs on guaranteed contracts and who played consequential minutes and/or a vital role (so no two-way players because we hardly saw them this year, no players who were traded away, and none of the deep bench centers, since they were both irrelevant and are now all gone).

Dylan Harper

2025-26 stats: 69 games, 22.6 MPG, 11.8 points, 3.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 50.5 FG%, 34.3 3FG%

Contract Status: 3 years, $43 million remaining (team option for 2027-28 and 2028-29)

Age: 20

The San Antonio Spurs went from a plucky young team to a full-blown contender, largely thanks to the addition of rookie guard Dylan Harper. In his first season, Harper established himself as an untouchable part of the Spurs’ core, the future running mate of Victor Wembanyama, and a potential All-NBA-caliber player. (spoiler alert: he’s getting a good grade!)

One of the biggest questions coming into the regular season was how Mitch Johnson would handle his guard rotation. The Spurs had just traded for De’Aaron Fox and signed him to a max contract, Stephon Castle was coming off a Rookie of the Year season, and Harper was selected with the second-overall pick. That logjam left Harper with a bench role, despite his pedigree. He accepted that role and instantly transformed the Spurs’ bench, giving them a downhill scoring threat who could seemingly get to the rim whenever he wanted this season.

It’s rare to see rookie guards with Harper’s combination of poise, patience, footwork and finishing ability at his age. Harper shot 66% at the rim this season, converting around the basket with both hands going through and around defenders. His combination of size and athleticism makes him not only a difficult player to contain offensively, but a positive defender with room to grow as he gets used to the NBA game.

His regular season performance earned him All-Rookie first-team honors in a loaded class. What fans will remember most from Harper’s rookie year is his postseason performance. It’s not that bold of a take to say the Spurs might not have made it out of the first round of the playoffs if Harper hadn’t stepped up. After Wembanyama went down with a concussion in Game Two against the Blazers, the Spurs found themselves down big in Game Three on the road. Harper responded with a second-half explosion that gave San Antonio the series lead and completely revived the Spurs.

Harper went on to be one of San Antonio’s most reliable players in the playoffs. In fact, he may have been the Spurs’ best player in the NBA Finals. By the end of the series, San Antonio was actively going to Harper in the clutch to get them buckets. At 20 years old, Harper was scoring 20+ points on the biggest stage against the NBA champions. In just one year, Harper established himself as one of the league’s most exciting young players.

Looking ahead

Harper’s playoff performance actually raised more questions about his future with the team than it provided answers. Yes, Harper is undeniably a centerpiece for San Antonio moving forward. The question is how long can the team afford to wait to be given the responsibilities that come along with being a core piece? It’s assumed that Harper will play a bench role in his sophomore season, with Fox and Castle still blocking him from a starting spot. Harper has said publicly that he’s fine with that, but there is already growing pressure from media and fans alike to give him more opportunities.

Harper will likely be the Spurs’ sixth man next year, and finish a majority of games. We should see more of the three-guard lineup with Harper, Castle, and Fox that San Antonio didn’t really utilize until it needed the extra scoring pop in the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals. Harper will be their primary option off the bench and likely the third or fourth option in the closing lineup. That is a gradual, and earned step up in responsibilities from his rookie year, and should be a nice stepping stone to an eventual spot in the starting lineup in the years to come.

He still needs to improve in a few key areas if he’s going to get more responsibility. Harper isn’t as strong of a playmaker as Fox or Castle yet. If he’s given the keys to the second unit, it would be great to see him make strides in running the offense and making his teammates better. His three-point shooting started to improve as the season went along, as he shot 48% from three in 26 games after the All-Star break. He also had some big shooting games in the playoffs. He’ll need to continue improving as an off-ball player with all the other scoring options on San Antonio’s roster.

The expectations for Harper next season will be extremely high. He showed extreme promise as a rookie. If the Spurs want to get back to the NBA Finals and this time leave with a trophy, Harper is sure to be a big part of that. No matter what his role ends up being next season, Harper is sure to make an impact. The question remains how big that impact has to become before he forces the Spurs to adapt the team to maximize his potential.

Top Performance

27 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 4-5 from three in Round 1, Game 3 @ Portland Trail Blazers

Final Grade: A

Up next: Keldon Johnson

Previous Reviews

Jordan McLaughlin

Carter Bryant

Luke Kornet

There’s a lot to learn from the Knicks' run to their third championship in franchise history. New York went 16-3 during the playoffs, winning 13 games in a row -- the second-longest postseason winning streak in NBA history.

What made the Knicks’ title win so unique was how unexpected it was after New York finished third in the East with a 53-29 record during the regular season. It was a very good record, but not in the elite tier of teams.

The adjustments the Knicks made, such as featuring Karl-Anthony Towns as a passer, were an example of new habits that could be applied to New York’s 2026-27 regular season. 

Let’s analyze three of them...

Point KAT

One major takeaway from the championship run was that the Knicks have figured out how to utilize Towns on offense. With their backs against the wall and down 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks in the opening round, head coach Mike Brown and the club altered the offensive strategy, having Towns operate as a facilitator at the top of the key. 

What followed was a revelation. Towns had at least five assists in the next eight games, all wins. Overall, the All-Star center averaged 4.9 assists through 19 total playoff games. He’s never averaged more than 3.6 assists in a season where he’s played more than 60 games.

Towns is a really strong passer, and his ability to shoot the ball forces defenses to extend out, opening up the paint for his teammates. Towns as a playmaker won’t work against every team, though. He only averaged 2.5 assists against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. But it adds another tool to New York’s offensive arsenal. 

Coming off a short summer break and an offseason surgery, there’s a chance that the Knicks could rest Jalen Brunson more often to keep him fresh throughout the season. Going through Towns as a playmaker and shot creator could help keep the Knicks' offense afloat in moments when Brunson is either drawing attention or is off the floor.

Third option

Defense has always been OG Anunoby’s calling card. But during the championship run, it became clear that the All-Defensive team honoree is a reliable scoring option, as he averaged 20.1 points in the postseason. The offensive explosion came as somewhat of a surprise, as Anunoby has never averaged 20 points per game in a season or in a playoff series.

Anunoby had arguably the biggest play in franchise history on an offensive rebound tip-in -- the shot that helped the Knicks complete a 29-point comeback victory in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. It was an example of the forward’s value to the club.

Anunoby finds ways to score without dominating the ball, making him the perfect complement to New York’s top two options in Brunson and Towns. He’s not a high usage player, and excels mostly as a play-finisher at the rim or on corner threes.

For this season, there’s a good chance Anunoby can continue to emerge as an offensive star in his role. Averaging 20 points a night is very much in play.

Defensive dominance

Though much of the talk surrounding New York’s playoff run came around Brunson’s shot-making, Towns’ playmaking and the big three-point nights from New York’s role players, the defense was the swing factor. The Knicks had the No. 1 defense in the entire playoffs, giving up 104.5 points per 100 possessions.

In the regular season, New York was ranked seventh in defense, allowing 112.3 points per 100 possessions. In the playoffs, Towns continued to make steady improvements on the defensive end. Opponents weren’t able to expose Brunson’s lack of size as often as in the past. New York’s trio of wings Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart covered a lot of ground and stifled opposing offenses. Reserves Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, Miles McBride, and Jose Alvarado were all effective on the defensive end.

New York will miss Robinson and his rim protection, as he departed for the Boston Celtics in free agency. But there are signs the Knicks can compete on the defensive end, even with recent free agent signing Andre Drummond in Robinson's place. When Robinson was off the floor, the Knicks gave up 100.7 points per 100 possessions during the postseason per NBA Stats.

Continued dominance on the defensive end in the regular season could help the Knicks pile up victories and compete for a top spot in the conference.

After a wild offseason, the Sixers’ roster is set… for now.

LeBron James and Jaylen Brown are now Sixers, as are Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ariel Hukporti. So, where does that leave the Sixers financially? How close are they to the first apron?

We’re partnering with SalarySwish to use their data and help answer every question you have about the Sixers’ financial situation.

We’ll make updates here as the season rolls along, so bookmark this page to keep up on the latest changes moving forward.

Sixers Roster, Salaries, Draft Picks, Cap Space and More

Here’s a table with all of the Sixers’ salary information, courtesy of our friends at SalarySwish:

That’s a lot of information to sift through, so let’s dive into a few key notes.

FAQ

Are the Sixers hard-capped at either apron?

The Sixers are hard-capped at the first apron for almost every reason that a team can hard-cap itself at the first apron.

They used the split the non-taxpayer mid-level exception between Wade and Simons, which triggers a first-apron hard cap. They also used part of the bi-annual exception on Hukporti, which also triggers a first-apron hard cap. And they took back more salary than they sent out in the Paul George-for-Jaylen Brown trade, which also triggers a first-apron hard cap. They just need to acquire someone via sign-and-trade and sign a buyout player who was previously earning more than the non-taxpayer MLE to hit for the first-apron hard-cap cycle.

This year, the first apron is set at $209,015,000. The Sixers are roughly $1.8 million below that threshold right now.

When can the Sixers fill their open roster spot?

A one-year, veteran-minimum contract for someone with two or more years of NBA experience has a cap hit of nearly $2.45 million. The Sixers do not have enough space under their first-apron hard cap to sign anyone to that type of a deal this offseason unless they shed about $650,000 in salary first.

The minimum salary for someone with one year of NBA experience is nearly $2.2 million, so they can’t even fit that under the first apron. They could sign an undrafted free agent to a one-year minimum contract, which would carry a cap hit of nearly $1.4 million, but that would leave them less than $500,000 below the first apron and would give them virtually zero flexibility at the trade deadline.

Veteran-minimum contracts begin to prorate daily once the regular season begins. We don’t know the exact amount yet, but they should decline by roughly $14,000 each day. According to Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron, Dec. 4 is the earliest that they’ll be able to fill that roster spot if they don’t give it to an undrafted free agent. However, Gozlan expects them to “keep it open to maintain flexibility through the trade deadline.”

Luckily, new team president Mike Gansey didn’t just clean up when it came to standard roster spots this offseason. He also landed Caleb Love and Rayan Rupert on two-way deals, both of whom are legitimate NBA players.

Even with a roster spot open heading into the season, depth should not be a major issue for the Sixers this year.

How much will the Sixers pay in luxury taxes this year?

Everyone’s favorite subject!

The Sixers are roughly $6.75 million over the $200.4 million luxury-tax line at the moment. The good news for Josh Harris and Co. is that the current collective bargaining agreement made it far less punitive for teams to go slightly into the tax.

Under the previous CBA, teams owed $1.50 for every dollar they went over the tax line for the first $5 million, and the rates quickly increased from there. Under the current CBA, teams owe only $1 in tax per dollar that they’re over the tax line for the first $6.06 million, and only $1.25 per dollar for the next $6.06 million.

As a result, the Sixers are only projected to owe $6.9 million in luxury tax at the moment. That will increase if/when they fill their 15th roster spot, but not significantly.

That’s effectively a rounding error to Harris and Co. If they try to swing another tax dump at the trade deadline with LeBron James on their roster, the righteous fury that was unleashed upon them for the Jared McCain trade last year will look like a toddler’s temper tantrum compared to the maelstrom they’ll face this year.

What draft picks can the Sixers trade?

After trading their unprotected 2031 first-round pick and either a 2028 pick or a swap to the Celtics for Brown, the Sixers can only trade these first-rounders or swaps:

• 2027 swap
• 2029 swap
• 2030 swap
• 2032 swap
• 2033 pick (their own)

The Stepien Rule, which prohibits teams from going back-to-back drafts without a first-round pick, limits what other picks they can trade. Since they owe their 2031 first-rounder to Boston, they can’t trade their 2030 or 2032 picks outright unless they acquire another pick from another team in either of those years.

The Sixers have also already traded away their own 2028 pick either to the Celtics or Brooklyn Nets. They previously had the rights to the Los Angeles Clippers’ fully unprotected 2028 first-round pick, but that is likely headed to Boston as well as part of the Brown trade. As a result, they can’t trade a 2027 or 2029 first-rounder until it’s confirmed that they do have a first-round pick in 2028.

Additionally, the Sixers can currently trade the following second-round draft picks:

• 2028 Warriors, Bucks or Thunder picks (two least favorable)
• 2028 Pistons pick (top-55 protected)
• 2029 Sixers pick
• 2030 Wizards, Suns or Blazers pick (less favorable)
• 2031 Sixers pick
• 2033 Sixers pick

They can’t trade their 2028 second-round pick for now because it’s tied up conditionally in the first-round pick that they owe to the Nets or Celtics. Memphis also has second-round swap rights with the Sixers in 2032.

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We’re a little more than two months away from Phoenix Suns preseason basketball, which tips off on October 5 in Detroit against the Pistons. Damn, that feels like a long time. I guess that’s because it has been. Sometimes I forget how long the offseason really is. During the season, it feels like the schedule never ends. Then suddenly you hit July and August, and the wait feels endless.

As I formulate my expectations for what this team is going to be next season, study the depth chart, and try to understand how all the pieces fit together, there’s one player I consistently overlook. Ryan Dunn.

Two offseasons ago, when the Phoenix Suns drafted him out of Virginia, there was a real level of excitement. Part of that was because he was the first player the Suns actually drafted and kept since Jalen Smith in 2020.

When Ryan Dunn arrived, there was hope that he would be the beginning of the Suns’ next youth movement. We understood his limitations as a shooter and hoped that part of his game would develop over time. In some ways, it has. The one thing Ryan Dunn possesses that you can’t teach is his defensive instincts. He has a natural feel on that end of the floor, and those instincts consistently show up.

The challenge is that the statistical production, combined with the eye test, has been inconsistent through his first two seasons. Last year, he actually played more minutes than he did as a rookie, yet averaged 1.1 fewer points per game, finishing at 5.8 points while shooting 45/33/49. That’s what many of us feared when the Suns drafted him. That the shooting would never come. So far, it hasn’t.

The concern was that he’d become a one dimensional player, and through two NBA seasons, that’s largely been the case. When a player can’t shoot 50% from the free throw line, your mind immediately goes to Shaquille O’Neal. Dunn ranked in the 0%-tile in free throw percentage last season.

As I look ahead and try to project what he’ll be next season, it’s difficult to find a clear path. The addition of Miles Bridges means Dillon Brooks is likely sliding back to the three. The Suns also drafted Koa Peat, who brings intriguing offensive upside along with the kind of physicality and size the roster previously lacked.

Then there’s the power forward spot. According to Cleaning the Glass, Dunn spent 51% of his minutes there last season. The results weren’t encouraging. He posted a minus-8.1 net rating at the position, ranking in the 20%-tile. Because of that, I don’t think Dunn should be the backup power forward. Rasheer Fleming has already shown he can fill that role effectively as a three and D player. At this point, that’s something Dunn simply hasn’t proven he can be.

The advantage of having Ryan Dunn on the roster is that you have a defensive player you can throw into a game to disrupt an opposing offense. That role has value. But for someone entering his third season and trying to establish himself in the NBA, that’s probably not the role he envisioned for himself, nor the one we hoped he’d have by this point in his career. The hope was that he would develop into a consistent rotational player, not a situational defensive specialist or an injury replacement.

That’s my concern for Dunn this season. I’m worried he won’t develop because he won’t get the opportunity to. He’s 24 years old, and he is no longer standing in one foot of water when it comes to competition at his position. The water has risen, and it’s becoming harder to swim. If it keeps rising, you might drown.

Factor in that the Phoenix Suns have potential extensions looming for both Miles Bridges and Dillon Brooks, and Ryan Dunn’s situation becomes even more interesting. Dunn is set to count roughly $5 million against next year’s cap, but the Suns hold a team option. That means a decision is coming. This season will be his proving ground. The question is, how much of a proving ground will he actually get? That’s the Ryan Dunn conundrum.

Ryan Dunn’s future may depend less on whether he’s capable and more on whether the opportunity ever materializes. The Suns are deeper, more balanced, and far more competitive at his positions than they were a year ago. That’s good news for Phoenix. It may not be good news for Dunn. Third seasons are supposed to provide clarity. For him, this one feels like it will determine whether he’s part of the Suns’ long-term plans or simply caught in the numbers game of a roster that’s moved ahead without him.

Almost every team in the NBA truly believes it has a chance to win with the right offseason moves right now. The days of Steph Curry vs. LeBron James teams in the NBA Finals every year are long gone, and they’ve been replaced by an unprecedented era of parity that has resulted in eight different champions the last eight years. Add in the NBA’s new anti-tanking rules, and this is shaping up to be one of the most competitive seasons in recent memory. Putting together preseason power rankings is really hard right now.

This has been a wild summer of offseason activity. Giannis Antetokounmpo is now on the Miami Heat, LaMelo Ball is on the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James are on the Philadelphia 76ers, and Kawhi Leonard is maybe, possibly going back to the Toronto Raptors. That’s just the start of it.

With the summer movement slowing down for now, it’s time to start previewing the 2026-27 season. Here are the teams that should be better than last year as they head into the new season.

Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers won 45 games last year to earn the No. 7 seed in the East, and were knocked out of the playoffs in the second round after upsetting the Boston Celtics in round one. The expectations are going to be way, way higher for Philly this season after a brilliant summer that saw the team trade for Jaylen Brown and land LeBron James as a free agent. I’m a bit skeptical that the Sixers are going to be a great regular season team, but there’s no doubt they have an extremely high playoff ceiling if a few things go right. That of course begins with Joel Embiid and James both being healthy at the right time, which is always a big if. The defense will be a question mark, and I’m not sure how Brown will adjust to a lower-usage role where he might be the fourth option on some nights. It almost doesn’t even matter what seed Philly gets this year. If this team can get to the playoffs in one piece, I like how they could match up with just about anyone in the East, including the New York Knicks. The Sixers haven’t even reached the conference finals since 2001. That needs to change this year with arguably the league’s best starting five. There are plenty of swing factors for this team to reach its true potential, but with LeBron’s leadership and a ton of offensive firepower, they will have a good chance to get there.

Indiana Pacers

This one is obvious. The Pacers reached the 2025 NBA Finals only to see superstar guard Tyrese Haliburton tear his Achilles in Game 7. Haliburton missed all of last season, and Indiana only won 19 games. Now he’s back and already doing between-the-legs dunks, giving the Pacers hope that they can regain their spot at the top of the East. Indiana made a bold trade for Ivica Zubac at the deadline last season, which ended up costing them the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. For as much pain as the lottery caused, Zubac is an excellent defensive center who fits this team to a tee. The rest of the supporting cast from the 2025 Finals run is still in place, with Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith rounding out the lineup around Haliburton. The East feels so much better right now than it did the last time Haliburton was healthy, but he’s proven to have such a big impact on winning that you can’t count out Indiana developing into a contender yet again.

Miami Heat

The Heat have been in the play-in tournament four years in a row, and last season was the first time they failed to make it out, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Miami needed a big swing this summer, and they landed the best player available on the market by trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis joins Bam Adebayo for what should be the NBA’s best frontcourt, but the rest of the roster has plenty of questions. Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell should be starters, and maybe Tim Hardaway Jr. fills the fifth starter spot. The bench looks like a major problem, but it’s important to remember that the Heat are better than anyone at developing diamonds in the rough. Pelle Larsson and Dru Smith could both take a real leap playing off Giannis, and knowing Miami, Myron Gardner and Ryan Conwell will be solid rotation pieces come playoff time, too. Last season, the Heat won 43 games and were the No. 10 seed heading into the postseason. They should clear that easily this year as long as Giannis’ body doesn’t fall apart.

Toronto Raptors*

Are the Raptors actually getting Kawhi Leonard this summer? The trade was announced on June 30th only to be held up 10 days later because the NBA’s ongoing investigation into the Clippers’ cap circumvention. It’s absolutely ridiculous that the law firm hired to do the investigation hasn’t finished its work yet, and it leaves both Toronto and the Clippers in an extremely tough position for the rest of the offseason. I tend to believe Kawhi will still end up in Toronto, and if that happens, I really like their playoff ceiling. The Raptors have two great young pillars in place with Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles, and Leonard was essentially playing at a top-5 level in the league last year with LA. That’s the formula for a better team than last year, when the Raptors won 46 games before getting knocked out in the first round in Game 7 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. With Kawhi, I can honestly see Toronto winning the East if everything breaks right — which starts with Leonard staying healthy, and includes bounce-back seasons from Jakob Poeltl and Immanuel Quickley. The Raptors’ 2019 season proved all things are possible through Kawhi. They just need to hope they get him.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies were decimated by injuries last season, then tanked hard to give themselves a chance at finding a future franchise player in the draft. Memphis got the luck it needed by moving up to the No. 3 pick, and landing the best player in the class in Cameron Boozer. Boozer will be the youngest player in the NBA this season, but he’s so good that I expect him to immediately be a top-100 player at minimum. With Boozer driving the offense with his brilliant passing, bully-ball scoring, and sweet three-point stroke, the Grizzlies have the potential to push for a play-in spot in the West if everything goes right. I love the pairing of Boozer and Zach Edey in the frontcourt if Edey can finally stay healthy. He’s a punishing interior scorer and a monster offensive rebounder who can also help fix some of Boozer’s rim protection issues. Add in a solid collection of guards led by Ty Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr., and Cam Spencer, plus a potential leap from Cedric Coward in year two, and I think the Grizzlies are going to surprise a lot of people this year before eventually developing into one of the West’s better teams in due time.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards finally got the lottery luck they needed after years of tanking. Washington landed A.J. Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick, and now it’s time to start winning. Washington traded for Anthony Davis and Trae Young midway through last season to help complement a young core that already includes Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, and Will Riley. The Wizards handed out a ridiculously bad max extension to Young already, and Davis might be next, but for the point of this exercise both players will help Washington improve this season. It would honestly be hard to get any worse after only winning 17 games last year. I wonder how Dybantsa and Young will mesh since neither plays well off the ball, and Davis’ health is always a major concern. Either way, the Wizards will have a good chance to double their win total and push for a play-in berth this season.

Brooklyn Nets

Brooklyn is projected to be the worst team in the NBA heading into the season with an over/under win total of 21.5. I’m pounding the over as long as they don’t trade Michael Porter Jr. before the end of the summer. Jordi Fernandez is one of the best head coaches in the league, and he got Porter playing the best ball of his career last season. The Nets picked up Julius Randle for free this summer, and he’s still a solid player even if he’s no longer an All-NBA caliber talent. I also think losing Nic Claxton will be addition by subtraction, because backup Day’Ron Sharpe, who now moves into a starting role, has been a better player the last couple years. I’m also loving what I saw out of Egor Demin at summer league. The Nets might not be actually good, but they’re going to clear last season’s 20 wins with ease.