Player Harper vs Edgecomb vs Bailey vs WNBA

[LeBowen]

Top-10 ish could end up being an understatement even. Wouldn't shock me to see him become SGA level with how well he gets to the rim right now.

Not the same type of player.
SGA isn't a true point guard, he's more of a scorer.
Harper won't be on SGA's level scoring wise without the perfect mid-range game SGA has.
But Harper will clearly be a way better floor general than SGA.

I actually don't know who to compare him with.
JKidd with better finishing and not as elite defense?

 

[spurraider21]

Top-10 ish could end up being an understatement even. Wouldn't shock me to see him become SGA level with how well he gets to the rim right now.

I think he could legit reach Rodrigue Beaubois levels... Tony Parker's penetration + Derrick Rose's athleticism + Steve Nash's shooting ability

 

[Kick-Stand]

Not the same type of player.
SGA isn't a true point guard, he's more of a scorer.
Harper won't be on SGA's level scoring wise without the perfect mid-range game SGA has.
But Harper will clearly be a way better floor general than SGA.

I actually don't know who to compare him with.
JKidd with better finishing and not as elite defense?

I mean we're looking at 19YO Harper, and he is so crafty at the rim already. It'll be interesting to see if he develops more in the SGA rim attacker + mid-range mold or the Harden rim attacker + long-bomber mold.

 

[Kick-Stand]

I think he could legit reach Rodrigue Beaubois levels... Tony Parker's penetration + Derrick Rose's athleticism + Steve Nash's shooting ability

Pre-prime French Allah was really something

 

[KobesAchilles]

VJ looks great, but being a 6'5 scorer is fairly common these days, even if we include defense.
On the other hand, Harper looks like an elite floor general in the making. There are very few of those in the league these days.

If we exclude the veterans and obviously Jokic, the list of players that averaged 6+ assists last season is very short:
Trae
Haliburton
Cade
Brunson
Giddey
Garland
SGA
Fox
Collier
Murray

Out of all those, I'd say just Trae, Haliburton and Giddey play like pass first floor generals. All three are tragic defensively.
Too early to say about Collier.

Harper will surely be an A-tier, maybe even S-tier passer and it looks like he's going to be at least a solid defender.
On top of that he's definitely going to be S-tier finisher in the paint and he's got a solid jumpshot already.
How many elite two-way floor generals you can name? That's right, there are none right now. Which makes Harper so much more valuable.

Obviously he won't be in a heliocentric system and his numbers won't be as high, but I have no doubt that he'd easily average 10+ assists on elite assist/turnover ratio if that was asked of him.

If he develops into a potential 25ppg scorer, that's your MVP level guard right there.
I'd personally be happy if he develops into a defender with a 20/6/8 or so averages.

How long do you think it’s going to take him to get a jumper? I’m hoping in 3 years

 

[LeBowen]

How long do you think it’s going to take him to get a jumper? I’m hoping in 3 years

Depends on what you consider a jumper.
I think his wide open c&s shots already look good, he should be fully comfortable by the end of the season.
If we're talking advanced mid-range game and pull-ups, it could take some years.

By this time next year, I'd be content if he has a reliable c&s 3pt and a reliable FT line pull-up similar to what Dejounte developed.

He already had a couple of stepback 3pt attempts in preseason, he'll surely work on it.
And I'm way more optimistic about his than Castle's jumpshot.
Someone with his combination of handles, finishing and composure simply has to become at least a solid shooter.