The professional basketball dream has come true for <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/dylan-harper-150969/">Dylan Harper</a>. With the No. 2 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, the former <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/rutgers-scarlet-knights/">Rutgers</a> star guard was selected by the San Antonio Spurs.



The Franklin Lakes, New Jersey native stayed home and starred with the Scarlet Knights throughout the 2024-25 season. The team might’ve missed the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, but it was through no fault of Harper, as he averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists during his time in Piscataway.



It’s not exactly a surprise he took to the college game like a fish to water. Harper was a star recruit. He played high school basketball at <a href="https://www.on3.com/high-school/don-bosco-prep-ramsey-nj-16857/">Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, NJ)</a>, where he was a five-star prospect. He was the No. 3 overall recruit in the 2024 cycle, according to the <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/rankings/industry-player/basketball/2021/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">On3 Industry Ranking</a>, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.



As he moves to the next level, Harper will be expected to continue to grow and elevate into one of the top players in the NBA. After showcasing his skillset during his freshman season with Rutgers, there’s no reason to think he can’t achieve that goal.



Time will tell what his ceiling is. Regardless, Dylan Harper will have a chance to not just be a good NBA player, but a great one, as he moves to the next level in this journey.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-nba-draft-experts-are-saying-about-dylan-harper">What NBA Draft experts are saying about Dylan Harper </h2>



Meanwhile, On3’s resident NBA Draft analyst <a href="https://www.on3.com/pro/news/2025-nba-draft-board-3-0-ranking-top-75-prospects-after-nba-combine-withdrawals/">James Fletcher III</a> <a href="https://www.on3.com/pro/news/2025-nba-draft-board-3-0-ranking-top-75-prospects-after-nba-combine-withdrawals/">took a hard look</a> at Dylan Harper. He’s enthusiastic about his potential, <a href="https://www.on3.com/pro/news/2025-nba-draft-board-3-0-ranking-top-75-prospects-after-nba-combine-withdrawals/">ranking him as a strong No. 2</a> behind <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/cooper-flagg-152774/">Duke’s Cooper Flagg</a> on his <a href="https://www.on3.com/pro/news/2025-nba-draft-board-3-0-ranking-top-75-prospects-after-nba-combine-withdrawals/">big board</a>.



“Dylan Harper shows off the kind of traits which are hard to bet against, boasting great size as a lead guard with scoring punch to complement his facilitation,” <a href="https://www.on3.com/pro/news/2025-nba-draft-board-3-0-ranking-top-75-prospects-after-nba-combine-withdrawals/">Fletcher III wrote</a>. “The team’s ups and downs, mixed with injuries at Rutgers kept him from moving into elite prospect conversations but did nothing to dissuade interest. He is the clear second prospect in the draft class.”



Fletcher III is far from the only one grinning at the idea of seeing Harper in the NBA. <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2025/prospects">RotoWire.com</a> made projections for many of the top prospects, likening Harper to Pistons star <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/cade-cunningham-16583/">Cade Cunningham</a>.



“It’s difficult not to think of Pistons star Cade Cunningham (6-foot-6, 200 pounds) when watching Harper play (aside from the fact that the latter is a lefty),” <a href="https://www.nba.com/draft/2025/prospects">Rotowire.com wrote</a>. “Both use their large frames to get to their spots against smaller guards and can blow by bigger defenders when opposing teams switch. 



“Cunningham was great as a rookie, finishing third in Kia Rookie of the Year voting behind Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley and transformed into a superstar due to incremental improvements each season. Harper has all the elements and characteristics to make the same leap Cunningham did, but the Rutgers product will need to put in the work.”

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