Time to have serious conversations about Dylan Harper
Currently everyone is buzzing over his 36/6/6 game vs Notre Dame in the Player’s Era tournament. All season long he’s been consistent and he’s been elite. Against bad comp, he’s performed. Against good comp, he’s performed. We’ll see more of him as the year goes on, but as of now he’s separated himself into a very clear top 2, and I’m gonna make a case he should be #1.
From what we’ve seen so far this season, he has been excellent at everything except shooting.
His finishing and touch around the rim is legitimately amazing. He finishes through contact very well, he’s got great dexterity with both hands, and he’s got a deep bag and somehow always has the rim move every time.
He’s a great defender. While his stock numbers aren’t exceptional, he’s great positionally, he’s switchable and bodies up really well. Very disruptive taking up space.
he’s looked great athletically. One of the concerns was his lack of explosiveness, and while he isn’t the most explosive athlete, his mix of strength and quickness make up for it. Not to mention he’s a very strong 6’6+. He’s elite downhill, and has a couple of nice dunks so far this season.
the playmaking has been legit. Some people thought he wasn’t a point guard, which never made sense. He leverages his scoring really well and is a great passer. This Rutgers team is a lot worse than people think, so a lot of those passes aren’t converting. Since ace Bailey has been back, he’s averaged 6.8apg and 1.3TO.
The only real weakness at this point has been shooting. He’s shooting ~32% from 3 on the season and 71% from FT. Unlike many questionable shooters in the past, Dylan’s issues have been mechanical. I don’t think the touch is a question. His jump shot is very rigid and confined. If Someone works with him to fix that, he could legitimately have no weaknesses in his game.
There’s an idea that he might have a lower ceiling than someone like cooper or ace(???) but that just doesn’t make sense.
Huge lead guard who can score, pass, and defend. He’s a walking paint touch and a freethrow machine. This kind of feels like the Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, and Jabari Smith Jr debate all over again. Dylan should be making a strong case for #1