Dylan Harper's electric on-ball ability just might give him more upside than anybody outside of Cooper Flagg. He's a special offensive player, and he's wired the right way.
Cooper Flagg has essentially solidified his place atop the 2025 NBA Draft., noting that he had the game required to go No. 1 even if he was going to take some time to figure out how to best be effective as a scorer. However, Flagg has had several massive outings as a scorer since that was published, removing most doubts about whether he’ll be able to eventually light opponents up offensively. But the No. 2 spot in this class is still very much up for grabs.
Offensively, it’s hard to ask for much more out of an on-ball prospect. Harper, who is 18 years old and stands 6-foot-6, was absolutely lighting up college basketball before being hit hard by the flu and injuring his ankle.
Harper’s elite driving ability should translate very nicely to the NBA. While Harper has an awesome sidekick in Bailey, the Scarlet Knights are shooting just 32.9% from three this season. Rutgers’ supporting cast isn’t providing either player with adequate spacing. At the next level, that shouldn’t be an issue. So, Harper is going to have more opportunities to dance with his defender.
There’s really just not much that Harper can’t do when it comes to putting the ball in the hole. He’s a legitimate three-level scorer, and he’s also a solid playmaker. We haven’t quite seen the extent of it because the Scarlet Knights don’t have play finishers and reliable three-point shooters surrounding Harper. However, he has still shown that he can make good reads as a pick-and-roll ball handler, and he has a good feel for finding teammates when defenses overplay him.
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