Rutgers senior forward Ron Harper Jr. is declaring for the 2022 NBA draft and will go pro rather than taking advantage of his final year of NCAA eligibility, writes Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
“I’m ready to put myself out there to get myself in the best position possible to be drafted,” Harper said. “I’m going all-in.”
Harper projects as a potential second-round pick, according to Givony, who has the 6’6″ wing ranked 65th on ESPN’s big board. Harper Jr., the son of former NBA guard and five-time champion Ron Harper Sr., tells ESPN that he envisions himself becoming a Robert Covington-esque three-and-D role player in the NBA.
“The NBA is more spaced-out basketball; there are different defensive rules,” he said. “I had to take a lot of contested 3-pointers this year. Those will be open ones in the NBA. The biggest thing NBA teams will see is I’m more athletic than a lot of people realize. I’m going to get my body in the best shape possible to help with that, including improving my eating habits.”
Here are a few more updates on players entering the 2022 NBA draft:
- A former teammate of Harper who transfered from Rutgers to Bryant in 2020 is also declaring for the draft, according to Adam Zagoria of NJ.com (Twitter link), who hears from a source that senior guard Peter Kiss is entering his name in the 2022 pool. It’s unclear if Kiss – the top D-1 scorer this season with 25.2 PPG – is just testing the waters or if he intends to go pro.
- UConn senior guard Tyrese Martin will forgo his extra year of NCAA eligibility and enter the 2022 NBA draft, he announced on Instagram. Martin averaged 13.6 PPG and 7.5 RPG on .449/.430/.689 shooting in 29 games (32.1 MPG) for the Huskies in 2021/22.
- Utah State senior forward Justin Bean will give up his final year of NCAA eligibility and declare for the 2022 draft, he announced on Twitter. Bean was a two-time All-Defensive player in the Mountain West Conference and made the All-MWC Second Team this season after averaging 17.4 PPG and 9.9 RPG in 34 games (35.4 MPG).
- Kansas State guard Nijel Pack, who just completed his sophomore season, will put his name in the 2022 draft pool, he announced on Instagram. The wording of Pack’s statement suggests he’s just testing the waters for now. He averaged 17.4 PPG with a .436 3PT% for the Wildcats in 2021/22.
Harper Jr is definitely gonna get drafted but his game is about as similar to RoCo as it is to his father’s (ie not much). I see Bonzi Wells as a much closer comp tbh
Bonzi Wells was one of my favorite unsung players. It was Lakers/Blazers amd I saw him post up Fisher, Fox, Kobe, Horry or Grant (can’t remember) all in back to back plays.
I was like who is this guy, he’s like 6’5 and decided he can pin down anyone in the post from 6 foot to 6’10.
If these players are not drafted, can they return to college to use their remaining eligibility or is that possibility gone once they sign agents?
No. They need to withdraw from the draft to remain eligible for college.
That is weird, article says forward but he is labeled at a guard.
He’s basically a guard in a forwards body
Nijel Pack was an insane player in college at Kansas State
The NBA should have programs for that.
He will likely move from team to team for years before becoming a role player on a playoff bound team. These kids of NBA players know how to practice, how to enhance team cohesion, how to stay out of trouble, speak to the media, and they have the fundamentals of the professional game figured out.