What the Boston Celtics Can Expect From Ron Harper Jr.

This is the next installment in a series of pieces examining what the Boston Celtics can expect from each of their players this season. Others in the series: The Rookies, Mike Conley, Paul George, Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, and Hugo Gonzalez. Tomorrow: Payton Pritchard

Ron Harper Jr. has been on a journey.

Unlike his dad, who was the eighth overall pick in 1986, or his brother Dylan, who was the second overall pick a year ago, Harper Jr. has had to fight for his spot in the NBA. He went undrafted in 2022 and had been hanging onto his spot in the league through a series of two-way contracts that saw him play almost exclusively in the G League. The Celtics were even among the teams that cut him.

But the tenacity has finally paid off. After getting upgraded to a standard contract as part of Boston’s tax maneuvering at the end of last season, the team rewarded his hard work and flashes of good play, with a four-year contract worth nearly $14 million.

“I'm really grateful for the opportunity that they believe in me, that they want me here long term,” Harper Jr. recently told reporters at a community event. “It's just motivation to keep on getting better and keep proving them right. So that's something I look forward to doing.”

The contract can ease his mind about his financial future, but it doesn’t mean his fight for NBA minutes is over. Harper Jr. gives the Celtics some quality depth, which the Celtics will need to get through a rough early schedule and a heaping dose of load management for at least a couple of players. But climbing the wing depth chart will be a challenge. Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and Jordan Walsh are ahead of him, and supplanting all of them will not be easy.

“We all want each other to succeed, no matter what it looks like,” Harper Jr. said. “It's a lot of guys competing for minutes, but also pushing each other to get better, so we're just worried about being great teammates, pushing each other to get better, and going about it in the right way. And it all rewards you in the right way.”

Harper Jr. is well aware of his lot in NBA life. Getting your first guaranteed deal is amazing, but not getting it until turning 26 is also telling. We can’t rule out some kind of blossoming from Harper, but we can’t be unrealistic about his expectations, either.

He’s an insurance policy. He’s a reliable depth piece. He’ll be ready when called upon, and even though that might not be every game, he knows what his job will be, and he’s ready to do it.

“I'm not gonna be asked to have as high a usage rate as I do in the G, and that's okay,” Harper Jr. said after getting his first start in a win over the Houston Rockets. “I'm just out there to make these guys' lives easier. Just be a role player … I'm cool with that. As long as I can help the team win, and as long as we win, I'm good.”

He’s had his moments on both ends of the floor. Harper Jr. defended Kevin Durant in that Rockets game and did a damn fine job. He also put up a career-high 27 points to lead Boston’s backups past the Orlando Magic to end the season, and 22 against his brother’s San Antonio Spurs to help give Boston a chance even after Jaylen Brown got ejected. He has a lot of confidence, and he's not afraid of big moments.

But he also had his share of tough nights. His shooting is inconsistent, and it’s a little rough at the NBA level. He’s been a pretty good three-point shooter in the G League, shooting 38% for his career there. He shot 35% from deep last season, but on low volume because of his lack of minutes. If he’d turned just four of his NBA misses into makes, he would have shot 40%.

Harper Jr. is generally a guy Joe Mazzulla can play without fear of actively hurting the team, which is an important quality for a ninth or tenth man. There are players ahead of him who do things better, and who have more upside, but if one of them is having an off night, or turns an ankle, or says a magic word to an official, Harper Jr. can step in and help because he doesn’t hurt them. In general, he protects the ball, makes good decisions, and plays good defense.

He’s essentially duct tape. You can use it in a pinch and it can do a great job for a while. But everyone knows you have to eventually fix the thing it’s holding together.

Maybe this season will give him more opportunity because of all the expected time missed by players ahead of him. He only played 318 minutes last season, which is 20 fewer than Nikola Vučević, so as much as all this could be true, there could be even more good basketball lying in wait for Harper Jr.

He will help the Celtics this season. He might even pop off for another 20-point night where we gush about him for a while. But what we don’t know is how effective he can be if he gets 1,000 minutes or more at the NBA level. Maybe this is the season where that question gets answered.

“I feel like they like my versatility on the offensive and defensive end,” Harper said. “My ability to play on and off the ball, my ability to guard. So you know, just looking forward to showcasing all those talents.”

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