Making the case for a Dylan Harper and LaMelo Ball pairing in Charlotte

Analyzing Dylan Harper's fit with the Charlotte Hornets.

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

It's easy to imagine.

The NBA Draft Lottery presentation comes back from commercial with three teams still unaware of their fate: the Utah Jazz, the Washington Wizards, and the Charlotte Hornets. The camera pans to Mark Tatum who announces that Utah will be picking third in the 2025 NBA Draft.

The rights to the number one overall pick and the ability to draft Cooper Flagg will either be awarded to the Hornets or the Wizards.

Tatum opens the next envelope, turns the card around, and like Groundhog Day, Charlotte pops up at number two, making them the bridesmaid, not the bride, again. With a once-in-a-generation prospect on the board, the Hornets wind up one spot away from the chance to draft him into their organization. Whomp whomp.

But what if I told you the consolation prize is still a great prospect who fits neatly into what Charles Lee and Jeff Peterson are building in Charlotte? If the Hornets do what every draft evaluator in the world believes they should and select Dylan Harper, a jumbo point guard from Rutgers, with the second overall pick, they should be ecstatic to land an über-talented guard prospect. Here's why.

Breaking down Dylan Harper's game

Playmaking

Harper is advanced beyond his years as a playmaking engine. The son of a former NBA player, Harper has an instinctual feel for the game that most 18-year-olds haven't unlocked quite yet.

As a handler in the pick-and-roll, Harper exhibits exceptional patience and decision-making when finding teammates. He has a number of solutions for the problems that defenses pose him (splitting double teams, snake dribbles, putting a defender in 'jail'), making him a true advantage-creator in the game's most popular action.

At 6'6", the consensus number two overall prospect leverages his size to his advantage as a creator. He can whip passes over and around defenders with his plus wingspan both off of a live dribble and while stationary. Harper is a solid passer who thrives against scrambled defenses, taking advantage of tilted floors to create shots for spotted up and cutting teammates.

Pressuring the rim

This is Harper's bread and butter.

He has proven adept at attacking the rim with varied tempos that leave defenders baffled as they try to guess his next move. Harper has a variety of gathers when getting into his shots that further accentuate the challenges he causes defenders while multiplying the answers he has as a scorer.

because Rutgers as a team turned out to be underwhelming and didn't play in the tournament, i almost forgot how good Dylan Harper is at pressuring the rim. Almost absurd levels of lane creativity for an 18 y/o lead guard. All of this stuff in just one game pic.twitter.com/qPDpI5qKz8

— Sheed on the Hawks (@SheedinATL) April 12, 2025

His well-built frame at his height allows him to finish through contact at a high level, proven by his ludicrous shooting percentage on close twos (70%) as a young freshman playing in the veteran-laden college landscape of 2025.

He's a multi-faceted paint scorer that uses his manipulative playmaking skills to his advantage as a way to create looks for himself and others on drives. His ability to finish from a myriad of angles, off either, or both, feet, make him one of the most complete guard paint scorers that has come out college in some time.

Shooting

Folks that criticize Harper's game key-in on his shooting touch.

Harper shot 33% on three-point attempts as a freshman at Rutgers, but due to a lack of spacing and high-level talent around him, many of those looks were more difficult than the non-self-created looks he'll get on the spaced out NBA floor.

The biggest developmental leap Harper can make as a shooter is on step back three-point shots. He looks comfortable stepping into looks in transition and off the catch, but the league's best point guards (think Tyrese Haliburton, Steph Curry, and Jalen Brunson in recent playoff games) all have the ability to nail step back threes after earning the defense's respect by driving relentlessly.

I really like the way Dylan Harper flows into his pull-ups. It's such an important shot for his high-end outcomes. His shooting numbers aren't amazing, but his shot prep being so fluid makes me believe he can shoot it better in the league. pic.twitter.com/40nuEtzDhL

— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) March 13, 2025

Defense

Harper has all of the tools to be a solid defender in the NBA, but he's not there quite yet. His lack of top-end athleticism hampers him in on-ball situations and makes him liable to be blown by on the perimeter. A pair of nit-picky observations I saw in his film, sloppy close-outs and poor screen navigation, will be picked on from the jump.

However, Harper demonstrates quick, accurate hands when attempting to strip drivers in the paint. His instinctual giftings can not be overstated (it helps when you spent 18 years of your life with a dad who played professional hoops). Also, Harper displayed quick twitch vertical athleticism as a rim protector on multiple occasions, something he won't do in the NBA often, but they were an impressive show of his elite blending of natural talent and feel.

Analyzing Harper's fit alongside LaMelo Ball

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Don't get it twisted. Although both Dylan Harper and LaMelo Ball are nominally point guards, they can play, and thrive, together when Charlotte possesses the ball.

Harper's ability to pressure the rim would be a godsend for the Hornets' moribund offense. Charlotte lacked primary creators, outside of Ball and Miles Bridges, that could earn paint touches on offense that opened up looks for perimeter shooters. Harper attacking the paint off of a ball screen before kicking the rock to LaMelo who has the opportunity to attack a tilted defense or knock and a catch-and-shoot three pointer (a strength of his game) would be a scary sight for opposing defenses.

While Brandon Miller is a cornerstone to Charlotte's rebuild, Ball needs a back court partner that can create paint touches on his own. Miller's deft long-range shooting touch will be magnified by Harper and Ball's incessant dancing into the lane. Mark Williams will thrive as a roller with two playmakers in the starting lineup alongside him. Placing a high-level shot creator in the Josh Green role will unlock Charles Lee's offense.

There will be problems on defense, but that will always be the case when you drop a teenager into the hyper-competitive NBA environment. However, I believe that Harper will figure things out on that end, and if Ball continues to fight on defense, Charlotte will have an perimeter trio with long arms that could swallow up opposing guards and funnel the more creative ones into Mark Williams inside, making life easier for him and the rest of the team .

In 2021-22, the healthiest and most productive season of LaMelo Ball's career, he played 3242 possessions in the back court with another point guard: Terry Rozier. In those possessions, Charlotte's net rating was +2.2 and their offense (116.1 points/100 possessions) hummed at a 79th percentile rate.

Harper's ceiling is higher than Rozier, and his skill set pairs with Ball better than Rozier's ever did. The blueprint is there, and it's not one that fans need to cry into like a tissue if Charlotte winds up with the second overall pick on lottery night.

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