Rutgers basketball will have two of the top three picks in next month's NBA draft according to ESPN's latest mock draft. The Scarlet Knights duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey appear to be locked into early spots following last night's NBA draft lottery.
In the first mock draft following the NBA draft lottery, ESPN is projecting Harper to go second overall to the San Antonio Spurs and Bailey to land with the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 3.
The Dallas Mavericks won the NBA lottery, with ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo projecting that Cooper Flagg will land in Texas with the first overall pick.
While noting that the Spurs and Harper may not be the best fit, there was an acknowledgment from ESPN that the former Rutgers guard is the draft's second-best player and the Spurs would be wise to take him. Harper averaged 19.6 points per game last year on his way to being an All-Big Ten selection as a freshman.
Givony wrote in part on Harper's candidacy to be the second overall pick:
''Harper did his best to keep the No. 1 pick conversation interesting for parts of the season with his skill level, shot creation and scoring prowess. He also can get to where he wants on the floor while demonstrating strong passing ability.''
As for Bailey, the forward landing in Philadelphia is a dream scenario as it gives Rutgers a player on a local team to hype.
Givony sees Bailey as having "displayed flashes of scoring upside for Rutgers'' over the past season. While shooting 46 percent from the floor last year, Bailey averaged 17.6 points per game.
Woo sees Bailey as a good fit with the 76ers:
''Bailey's shotmaking chops and significant scoring upside would give Philly another strong building block for the long term, in addition to its rising backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain.''
If these mock draft projections hold up, Harper and Bailey would be the highest ever draft picks in Rutgers basketball history. The players, both five-stars, were the highest-ranked players to sign with the Scarlet Knights program.
Much like the ESPN mock draft, The Sporting News also has Harper and then Bailey going after Flagg.
But in this mock draft, there is a question about if the Spurs will stay at second overall, with Gilbert McGregor dropping an interesting thought at the end of his write-up projecting Harper's selection:
''Team success came at a premium in Piscataway, N.J. last year, but Harper's got an amazing feel for the game and an ability to create for himself and others. The NBA DNA from his dad, Ron, helps, too. Keep an eye on if this pick is actually going to be made for the Spurs.''