The NBA preseason has started, and former Rutgers Men’s Basketball players Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey have shown their impressive talent during their short time on the court.
Despite missing the Spurs’
first preseason game and being limited with a thumb injury, Dylan Harper has started to show why he was drafted so high in this year’s draft. In just 40 minutes of play, Harper has totaled 20 points, 11 assists, and two steals. He has shot 57% from the floor 50% from beyond the arc. His best of the two preseason games he has played so far came against the Indiana Pacers, where he shot 50% from two and 100% from three, totalling 11 points, 8 assists, and two steals.
Harper currently sits on the Spurs’ second line behind Stephon Castle at Shooting Guard, according to ESPN. If Harper continues to develop and play well throughout the preseason, he could have a significant role coming off the bench during the regular season. Harper was seen as the more NBA-ready out of the two; however, he is in a much better situation where he isn’t forced to start right away.
Ace Bailey has also looked as good as advertised for the Utah Jazz, despite being banged up. His worst and most recent game of the preseason came against Dallas, when he was battling knee tendonitis and was pulled after 11 minutes. In that game, he only made one out of five shots for three points and one rebound. However, in his previous games, Bailey saw much more playing time and played much better. In his game against Harper’s Spurs, Bailey totaled 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist in 39 minutes of play. In the Jazz’s game against the Rockets, he totaled 25 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block in 31 minutes of play.
Bailey does not have the same luxury that Harper has when it comes to sitting behind somebody for learning and development. Barring his injury, which the Jazz claim is not that serious, Bailey is a likely day one starter for the Jazz. He has performed well so far in the preseason, but that would have to translate instantly in the regular season for the Jazz to have success. The Jazz’s offensive scheme seems to have a lot dedicated to setting up Bailey in his optimal scoring positions. That should go a long way toward starting a successful career for the former Scarlet Knight.
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