[The following scouting report is part of a series on potential 2025 draft prospects from Sports Business Classroom alumni.]

Dylan Harper
Frame: 6’5″, 213 lbs
Position: Guard
Team: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
2025 Draft Age: 19
Stats via www.sports-reference.com

Offense

Harper made a name for himself as a slasher at the guard position, which we have not seen at the collegiate level for some time. He shot 70.0 percent on 170 attempts at the rim (assisted on 17.6 percent). Harper has excellent body control and balance, using his big frame to muscle smaller guards around and get to his spots, typically keeping them on his back. He knows how to use his shoulder and body to get downhill. His handle is relatively advanced for his age, being able to stop and go, and use different counters to get past his defender. Although Harper doesn’t have elite burst, the subtlety with which he changes directions makes up for it. At the rim, he can finish with either hand and adjust to contact, along with finishing over big men, due to his plus size. 

As a shotmaker, he was inconsistent this past season, shooting 33.3 percent on 150 attempts from three (assisted on 52.0 percent). Harper creates separation with his handle and footwork off the dribble. He relies on sidesteps to his right side to get open looks off live dribbles. His mechanics are relatively clean, but his shot lacks arc due to his low release—which doesn’t appear when he is set (42.3 percent of catch-and-shoot attempts) and is less apparent at the free throw line (75.0 percent on 160 attempts).

Harper also struggled this season from mid-range, shooting 30.9 percent on 91 attempts (12.0 percent assisted). Much of the same about his three-point shooting carries over to this area; the lack of arc in his shot and less space to work with compared to beyond the perimeter made it more difficult for him to get off looks cleanly. He has a push shot with his left hand, which he occasionally goes to, but it is not as comfortable with it as he is with a jumper. This will be an area of growth for him at the next level to complement his rim-centric scoring approach. 

Harper’s ceiling will be determined by how good a playmaker he can become. He averages 4.0 assists per game with an assist percentage of 27.0 percent and 2.4 turnovers with a turnover percentage of 14.8 percent. Harper showed flashes of brilliance this season, manipulating the second and third line of defenders with his eyes to find teammates open in a weak side corner (while positioned in the opposite slot). Harper knows how to leverage his rim pressure and drop off the ball to his big men in the dunker’s spots. He can make passes with either hand but is currently more comfortable with his left. There are times when Harper can miss open opportunities, out of pick-and-rolls, where he can fail to see his big man cutting. Other times, he will miss an open shooter on the perimeter when probing or attacking downhill. Harper has the skillset to play on and off the ball in the league, but if he can clean up his consistency as a primary, he can become a sure-fire all-NBA talent.

Defense

Harper impacted this season with defensive turnovers, primarily off the ball. Averaging 1.4 steals per game and a steal percentage of 2.6 percent, he thrived as a strong-side defender, jumping passes one man away frequently. He has a talent for baiting ball handlers into a false sense of security, then jumping the pass and taking it the other way for two. He also does well staying with his man and swiping at a driving ball handler when the situation calls for it. As a weak-side defender, Harper doesn’t pop as much simply due to the lack of tools to roam around and cause trouble, but is a sound defender who doesn’t tend to lose his man. 

On the ball, Harper is an active and willing defender. He can guard different positions on the perimeter, using his size and wingspan to bother ball-handlers and keep them in front of him. When guarding pick and rolls, he can use his strength to get around ball-screens and even body or tag-roll men, along with communicating to his teammate about switching or defending the action. His strength allows him to bang with bigger forwards and hold his own. Harper’s lack of real burst can hurt him in isolation when matched with the best perimeter players, especially speedy ones. 

Looking Ahead

Harper displayed the tools of a potential franchise guard this season, with spectacular rim pressure and finishing and flashes as a shot creator and a lead creator, to accompany exciting defensive tools. He will have to fine-tune areas of his perimeter game to reach his ceiling, but the makings are there of a cornerstone piece. 

Harper projects to be the second pick of the 2025 NBA draft, with a floor of a quality starter and upside of an all-star and all-NBA guard.