Another name to put on your radar in a Cooper Flagg echo chamber of NBA Draft discourse is Dylan Harper. On Monday, Rutgers freshman guard Harper announced that he is declaring for the NBA Draft. Just hours later, many mock drafts projected him to slot into that No. 2 spot behind Duke’s notorious forward.
Harper announced his decision on ESPN’s ‘NBA Today.’ He said, “I’ll remember all the life lessons this season. The ups and downs, the good and bad. Staying leveled.”
Dylan Harper’s Impressive Stats With Rutgers
Harper’s one-year stint at Rutgers solidified him as one of the standout college players to watch. Averaging 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4 assists with a field goal percentage of nearly 48.4%, Harper has accumulated numerous accolades at Rutgers, including the All-Freshman team and third-team All-Big Ten.
Harper entered the Rutgers locker room with just as much hype as he would leave it — ranked No. 2 in his 2024 high school class. He did not disappoint the Scarlet Knight grandstands. As a freshman, he led his team in scoring and assists while making Rutgers history by setting a freshman scoring record with 564 total points. Ranked third among NCAA freshmen in points per game, Harper finished his season with the Scarlet Knights with a 15-17 record.
While prospect comparisons are not always accurate, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman places Harper with Coby White, Jalen Brunson, and De’Aaron Fox. Harper is methodical in his playmaking and boasts a height advantage as a guard to enhance his offensive prowess further.
The Rutgers star has proven himself a deadly, dynamic, and versatile combo ball handler with playmaking and iso abilities, as his finishing skills when driving downhill. Standing at 6’6’’, Harper’s size allows him to be offensively and defensively imposing, and his basketball IQ contributes to his versatility as both a scorer and facilitator.
Harper himself emphasizes his all-around talents, “NBA teams saw I am an all-around player,” he said. “I can do whatever it takes to win. Whether it’s score, defend, or facilitate. Anything Coach needs me to do.”
NBA scouts will be looking for a jack-of-all-trades type player like Harper, and he currently enters the draft as the shiniest prize for teams lacking a guard with the elite finishing ability and defensive playmaking skills that Harper brings. BR’s mock draft places the Washington Wizards at the No. 2 position. Combined with the offensive capabilities of Jordan Poole and Alex Sarr, Harper has the potential to wreak havoc on NBA defenses.