Dylan Harper’s NBA Draft hype & shattering Rutgers’ scoring record
Jalen Green, Jordan Clarkson, and Raymond Townsend are all resounding names that made a mark in the NBA. While the wait for a homegrown Filipino talent can be quite long, a lot of Fil-foreign players are getting very close to making it to the association. Perhaps, the closest is Dylan Harper who shined for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in their 75-52 win over Wagner.
Dylan Harper recorded a game-high 20 points while knocking down nine out of his 16 attempts from the field. Despite only shooting 16.7% of his free throws, the Fil-Am still notched the most points for any Rutgers freshman in their debut game. Notably, this insane single-game scoring outburst from a young gun at the season’s starting point has not been seen in the past 52 years.
Freshman Dylan Harper dropped 2️⃣0️⃣ in his @RutgersMBB debut 🙌#B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/eVgJMNynAR
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) November 7, 2024
This star out of the Rutgers system shoots with his left hand and has a 6-foot-10 wingspan. Despite not being the most athletic man on the floor, he gets to his spots well while also being a reliable defender. Moreover, his playmaking has improved under Coach Steve Pikiell. This is why it comes to no one’s surprise that his pre-draft comparison has Jalen Brunson as the ceiling and Malcolm Brogdon as his floor.
There are still a lot of things to polish in his style of play. The biggest concern has to be his jumper as he missed three out of his four three-pointers against Wagner. Another is the fact that Dylan does not play above the rim nor does he drive right.
Moreover, the 6’6 guard also fails to take advantage when he gets fouled. Rutgers only saw one out of six of his free throws fall in their season opener. He still has time to become NBA-ready and solidify himself as one of the top guards in the Big Ten alongside Braden Smith and Ace Baldwin Jr.
Why should Filipino hoops fans care about Dylan Harper?
Dylan, a notable name who might be a top-five pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, is the son of NBA legend Ron Harper and Filipina Maria Pizarro. Clearly, basketball runs in the family’s blood. After migrating to the USA from Bataan, Maria played for the New Orleans Privateers and is now an assistant coach for Don Bosco. His older brother, Ron Harper Jr., also played for Rutgers before ending up with the Boston Celtics’ NBA G League affiliate team.
Amid all of these successes and adjustments, he keeps himself tethered to his Filipino heritage.
“It’s great being from a Filipino background, you know. I try to interact with people online and stuff like that. But ultimately, I think I’m [going to] probably get out there sometime sooner rather than later. Yeah, definitely, just to see the culture, how people are there, the vibes, how they ultimately live their everyday life because that’s part of my background, too,” he said in an interview with Pro Insight’s Conrad Chow.
With Ace Bailey out of Rutgers’ rotation due to a day-to-day injury, Dylan Harper is set to be the number one option for Steve Pikiell’s Scarlet Knights. Will he lead them to win the Big Ten Conference and March Madness?
