Entering the 2024-25 men’s college basketball season, it felt like Duke freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] had a runaway head start as the presumed No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft. However, despite a pair of 20-point performances against top-25 opponents, Flagg might have a challenger for the throne.
ESPN NBA draft analyst Jonathan Givony praised Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper on Tuesday, saying the first-year Scarlet Knight has put together a compelling case in his own right.
“Dylan Harper has been the best freshman in college basketball one month into the season,” Givony wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “Making a strong case to challenge Cooper Flagg as a No. 1 pick candidate.”
Harper has played eight games with Rutgers so far this season, and he’s scored at least 20 points in six of those contests. He put together his two best performances last week, hanging 36 on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish before scoring 37 against the Alabama Crimson Tide on back-to-back days. He’s averaging 23.8 points per game, second only to Villanova’s Eric Dixon among power conference teams, and 4.6 assists while making 51.1% of his attempts.
Harper’s teammate Ace Bailey stole more of the headlines during the recruiting cycle, but Harper ended up as the No. 3 overall player in the Class of 2024 rankings from 247Sports.