Dylan Harper Raises NBA Draft Stock With 36-Point Explosion

In Tuesday night’s matchup between Rutgers and Notre Dame at the Players Era Festival, freshman Dylan Harper looked like a future NBA star.

Harper did absolutely everything on the offensive end of the court, scoring 36 points on 12-for-22 shooting. He connected on two of his six triples and added six rebounds and six assists in the process.

With the ball in his hands, Harper mirrored so many talented NBA guards with his scoring ability, awareness and basketball IQ. He made tough shots, dashed to the paint with ease, connected on long but seamless triples and more. All in all, it was one of the more impressive performances from any prospect so far.

Rutgers eventually won in overtime because of Harper’s heroics, with the Scarlet Knights continuing to get a heavy dose of the jumbo guard in a heated overtime.

His teammate Ace Bailey saw a tougher shooting night early, but still managed to add 10 points, including the late, would-be go-ahead in regulation.

Should Harper continue to produce at his current level — which was 19.8 points, 5.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds on 54% shooting entering the game against the Fighting Irish — he’ll likely be a shoo-in as a top-two selection along with Duke’s Cooper Flagg.

Per NBA Draft on SI’s previous scouting report on Harper: “As a scorer, Harper is lethal inside the arc as a mid-range driver and scorer. Continued improvement from beyond the arc as a shooter will be key, but he’s at least a solid 3- point shooter today. Meanwhile, Harper can generate buckets for himself at any time on the fly, whether it’s all the way to the rim or stopping and scoring in the midrange.”

The Scarlet Knights will next take on Alabama No. 9 tomorrow in their toughest test of the season so far.

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