Harper, projected No. 2 pick, declares for draft

Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper, the projected No. 2 pick, announced Monday on ESPN’s “NBA Today” that he will declare for this year’s draft.

“I’ll remember all the life lessons this season,” Harper told ESPN. “The ups and downs and good and bad. Staying leveled.”

He was named third-team All-Big Ten and to the all-freshman team after averaging 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals this season.

Harper broke the freshman scoring record at Rutgers while finishing as the fifth-best scorer in the Big Ten, showing his potential with several scintillating performances. He appeared en route to challenging Cooper Flagg as a potential No. 1 pick candidate early in the season with back-to-back 36- and 37-point outings against Notre Dame and Alabama in the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas in November, but was hampered by an ankle injury and a bout with the flu that caused him to lose significant weight and miss time in January.

At 6-foot-6, Harper has excellent size for a point guard, with a combination of shot-creation prowess, passing creativity, finishing skill and overall scoring ability that have drawn comparisons in NBA circles to a young James Harden.

“NBA teams saw I am an all-around player,” Harper sad. “I can do whatever it takes to win. Whether it’s score, defend or facilitate. Anything Coach needs me to do.”

Harper made 50 3-pointers in 29 games, averaged 5.8 free throw attempts and hit an impressive 57% of his 2-point attempts this season despite having little help on a Rutgers team that didn’t boast much talent beyond him and projected No. 3 pick Ace Bailey. Rutgers finished 15-17 on the season, bowing out in the first round of the Big Ten tournament after a double-overtime loss to USC, with Harper posting 27 points, 8 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals in his final college performance.

“The next few months, I’ll be spending a lot of time in the gym, watching film, getting my body right, preparing for the next level and making sure everything is sharp.

The NBA draft combine will be held May 11-18 in Chicago, and the draft will be June 25-26 in New York City.

Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams.

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