The Rutgers basketball team featured two of the most exciting freshmen in all of college basketball. However, due to some unfortunate circumstances, the team never found its rhythm, ultimately missing the NCAA Tournament entirely. Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper are projected top-five draft picks, but the question now is where they’ll land at the professional level.
When the duo played together, Rutgers fans were treated to some electrifying basketball. However, when one was sidelined, the team struggled. Harper dealt with injuries during parts of the season, leaving Bailey to carry the load on his own. While Bailey delivered several standout performances, it wasn’t always enough. As the draft process began, Bailey faced criticism for allegedly not being a team player.
“The nonsense about the RutgersMBB freshman not being a team player or one dimensional earlier in the season is laughable,” Fran Fraschilla posted.
The San Antonio Spurs hold the second pick in the June NBA Draft. Though there were early rumors about a possible trade, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has reported that the Spurs plan to select a Rutgers star.
“They are not pursuing trades from what we're hearing. They think that they can play Harper together with Steph Castle and De'Aaron Fox in the same backcourt,” Givony said.
Harper had a highly productive season when healthy, averaging 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. He appears poised for NBA stardom, and all signs point toward San Antonio as his likely destination—joining rising stars Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, both Rookie of the Year winners.
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“With Castle on the wing already, the addition of Harper would give the Spurs a backcourt of the future,” Greg Patuto wrote.
The future looks bright for the Spurs. With a young, talented roster and a first-year head coach in Mitch Johnson, there’s nothing better than a team growing and evolving alongside its leader.