Dylan Harper
Guard
Big, bruising guard with potent scoring potential
Dylan Harper came out of the gates this year as one of the NCAA’s best 18-year-old scorers of all time. At the end of 2024, he was the NCAA’s first top 3 scorer not yet turned 19 since Michael Beasley in 2008 before being sidelined by a mid-season illness which caused him to drop nine pounds. Harper does most of his work getting downhill, one of the best driving prospects in recent memory with a nimble handle and feathery touch for his physical 6’6’’ (in shoes) frame. He shot a difficult-to-believe 70% at the rim on 170 attempts, with fewer than one in five assisted. For a young freshman, we’re in rarified air.
Harper scored well at the NBA Combine, with 90th percentile or better ranks for height, wingspan and hand length compared to point guards historically. He even was near or above average for a point guard for vertical, sprint, agility and shuttle runs. Harper’s a bigger body than we’re used to seeing move like that.
Harper has a wide repertoire of driving and finishing tools and technique, not simply overpowering less athletic opponents. He splits doubles with ease and is able to decelerate just enough to let his defender blow by. He finishes with teardrops and scoops, nearly as proficient with his off hand as his left.
The rest of Harper’s offense is less inspiring, but still has a lot to work with. His pull-up was a negative, in the 95th percentile for volume but a below average efficiency at 0.76 points per attempt. That will not cut it in the NBA, and does reduce some of Harper’s on-ball appeal as opponents may wall off his driving lanes. However, that is balanced against Harper’s strong catch and shoot results, very good passing and just general creativity finding ways through even conservative defensive schemes. He will not light the world on fire with his distributing prowess, but Harper is capable of some very difficult reads which makes him difficult to help onto.
When his three is falling, Harper is an offense unto himself. He would be a particularly good pairing with a big spacer, as his rim finishing took off when Rutgers’ lone non-shooter was on the bench. The defense is good enough, especially for the archetype, and given his size and above average tools will be able to conserve energy the way other high usage point guards cannot. He is Swish Theory’s clear #2 prospect. There may be some growing pains as San Antonio figures out their spacing, but he is well worth the long-run upside.
Matt Powers