NBA lottery teams will view Harper as a scoring lead guard. With that label comes expectations and responsibilities of creating and executing off that self-creation at a high level.

Harper has excelled so far in ball-screen situations. It’s become apparent that his game is built to be optimized for a high-usage, pick-and-roll ball-handler role in the NBA.

After receiving a screen, Harper just waits for a small window of room to get downhill and use his size and body control to create easy finishing angles. But some of his most eye-catching highlights show him split screens with violent change-of-direction or rejecting screens to find more space.

He’s also shooting best from three in ball-screen situations. Defenders having to backpedal and watch out for a pick gives Harper extra room to generate rhythm into his pull-ups with hesitation dribbles or step-backs.

He’s been far less successful shooting off the bounce in isolations when he’s unable to get as much separation or power into his jumper. Harper clearly has confidence that pushes him to fire jumpers one-on-one, but his shooting skill isn’t there yet to get consistent results.

Inside the arc, he tends to rely on using the strength from his 6’6″, 215-pound frame for moving defenders and creating separation. That has led to off-balance mid-range shots and contact that won’t earn foul calls because Harper is initiating it while defenders are still in legal position.

Right now, he’s at his best attacking all the way to the rim and using his footwork to find open space off the dribble. Improvisation has been key for him. He can process quickly on drives, and he makes unteachable adjustments on finishes.

It’s worth noting that off-ball defenders have been willing to leave Rutgers’ shooters to help on Harper. The spacing hasn’t been great, as there is often little room for Harper to counter left or right with help defenders shading toward him.