NBA Draft: Auburn’s Jared Harper has made a name for himself this March

Jared Harper has begun to make a name for himself over the last couple of weeks, and could be a prospect to watch as we inch closer to the NBA Draft

Although Jared Harper will likely not see his name called in this summer’s NBA draft, the Auburn standout could very well sign as an undrafted free agent after his impressive NCAA tournament, where he’s been a vital part of Auburn’s success as they gear up to take on number one ranked Virginia this Saturday.

Harper was extremely clutch in Auburn’s huge upset win over the Kentucky Wildcats last weekend, where he led them with 26 points, four boards, and five assists in a 77-71 OT win. He hit two gigantic free throws late in the game and didn’t look like he had any nerves whatsoever. Harper has proved that no moment is too big for the 21-year-old.

He averaged 15.4 points per game to go along with 5.8 assists this season in the SEC. Harper, who is finishing up his junior year, worked out briefly for the Atlanta Hawks after his sophomore season but ultimately returned for another year at Auburn.

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During March Madness, Harper has averaged 17.5 points and 6.5 assists, with their Elite 8 win over Kentucky being his best game. With star teammate Chuma Okeke out after tearing his ACL in Auburn’s sweet 16 matchup over UNC, Harper has really needed to step up and that’s exactly he’s done.

He could be a serious threat at the next level

Although he’s extremely small at just 5-foot-11, Harper is very quick on his feet. He uses his lightning speed on fast breaks to weave amongst defenders and finish at the rim. He did a lot of this exact thing against Kentucky. Nobody could keep up with him and before you know it, he’s already converted at the hoop.

Harper isn’t selfish either. There have been numerous times in the tournament where he could take it all the way on his own, but instead, he dishes it out to a teammate for an open look. He is a very talented passer, which is a very important trait that he must have if Harper wants to play at the next level.

He has a very solid basketball IQ, using his feel for the game to generally make the right decisions. In OT against Kentucky, The speedster literally put Auburn on his back, scoring 12 of their 17 points in the extra period. He was also a perfect 11 for 11 from the free-throw line.

Harper does like to shoot from the 3-point line pretty often, with 6.6 attempts per game during the season. But he has proven that he is best when he gets to the rim, using his athleticism to find lanes. The guard was just 1 for 6 against Kentucky from downtown, but it was a huge three that turned into a four-point play:

At the next level, even though Harper is small, the 21-year-old could definitely be a threat. I haven’t seen many players with the type of quickness on the court that the Auburn star has. There will probably not be many NBA teams who will want to give a 5-foot-11 guard a chance, but the few who do will see the value in it. He is an absolute competitor and has proven that time and time again during his years with Auburn, especially in March Madness.

If he does play in the NBA though, he’ll have to rely on his shooting abilities from downtown a bit more as it won’t be as easy to get to the rim against higher caliber players.

Whoever does end up giving Jared Harper a chance at the next level will end up being very glad they did. With a bulldog mentality on the court and the cool confidence he carries, the future definitely looks promising for the 21-year-old standout point guard.