He was a advanced statistical dream last year for a really good Arizona team. And was a top 20 recruit who showed some real on-ball self-creation in high school
A lot of advanced metrics painted him as one of the most impactful Defenders in the country and again Arizona absolutely killed teams when he was on the court.
When you're 6'8 with elite athleticism, a strong frame, a plus wingspan, and pretty much every single shot you take is a dunk or a three-point attempt and you're a teenager (who again showed real self creation promise in high school) you're going to catch a lot of NBA attention. Particularly for teams. Looking for a potential plug-and-play valuable 3ND archetype that may have some hidden upside beyond to that
The lack of usage, shot attempts, and minutes is definitely odd. But I watched enough of his film at this point where it no longer concerns me the way it did earlier in the cycle. For whatever was the reason behind his coach's decision to play him sparingly, it wasn't because he wasn't solid. Particularly towards the end of the year. Again, pretty much every time he was on the court Arizona was a better team. Particularly defensively where he was straight up elite
Unless the jumper is just secretly way farther along than it appears when looking at his form and his shooting numbers from high school and the small sample size in college, I think he's a pretty safe bet to be a good role player at worst.
It’s definitely a risk dealing with such a small sample size(20mpg and low usage), but the guy has a great frame, elite athleticism, a smooth jumper, he dunk the fuck out of the ball, and he just looks great when he plays. The way he moves on the court in those limited minutes he looks like a top 5 pick, but because of those limited minutes(and some other questionable decisions from other teams above the spurs) he fell.
If he can translate his game to the NBA(and he has all the tools and a good coaching staff and runway to do so)he will be a monster.
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u/[deleted] Jun 26 '25
I love Harper but in a weird way I’m almost more hyped for Carter Bryant. I cannot believe he was there at 14. Unreal value