Inside The Nets

Brooklyn Nets NBA Draft Notebook: A Live Look at Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey

Nets On SI was on hand at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ to watch Rutgers face Princeton. Plus, thoughts on Xaivian Lee and Caden Pierce.

Wilko Martinez Cachero

Dec 21, 2024; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Princeton Tigers guard Xaivian Lee (1) looks to dribble past Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Dylan Harper (2) during the first half at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Tom Horak-Imagn Images
Dec 21, 2024; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Princeton Tigers guard Xaivian Lee (1) looks to dribble past Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Dylan Harper (2) during the first half at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Tom Horak-Imagn Images / Tom Horak-Imagn Images
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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY — Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey could make up two of the top three in the 2025 NBA Draft, right in the range that many Brooklyn Nets fans are hoping their team drafts in. 

Nets On SI was at the Prudential Center on Saturday to watch the two Rutgers freshmen take on Princeton in the Never Forget Basketball Tunnel to Towers Foundation Classic. Besides Harper and Bailey, who in some evaluators’ eyes could even be No. 1 pick contenders, Princeton’s Xaivian Lee and Caden Pierce are also worth monitoring for NBA teams for the second round of the draft after.

Dylan Harper finished with 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting in 36 minutes. It’s very difficult for defenders to stop the Scarlet Knights guard at the college level. Harper gets to his spots nearly every single time with his great handle and robust frame that allow for constant paint touches. From there, Harper is more of a below-the-rim finisher and he's not overly bouncy against length, but he's listed at 6-foot-6 and he's currently making 75.9% of his close twos regardless, per Bart Torvik.

Harper’s scoring mostly came when he got downhill, especially with a nasty in-and-out in transition that will be on every pre-draft highlight reel. Besides a catch-and-shoot three in transition, he went 1-of-6 from deep. It’s worth monitoring Harper’s shot. The 18-year-old has touch, but he was shooting below 30% from three before December.

On defense, Harper was solid on the ball. He used his strength and size to wall off a few drives, and he got a couple of deflections. Off the ball, the New Jersey-born guard still has room for improvement with his attention to detail.

Ace Bailey’s touch is what immediately makes the Rutgers wing pop. However, after checking him out in person, Bailey’s listed 6-foot-10 height looks closer to somewhere between 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-9. Either way, the 18-year-old had a decent all-around game, finishing with a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double. Plus, Bailey also had a season-high in assists with two, although that should also say something about the Scarlet Knights’ playmaking so far.

Bailey didn’t have his most efficient game, finishing 6-for-16 from the field, but his process and flashes were largely encouraging. For instance, his first bucket of the game came on a drive. Then, Bailey turned the ball over as a ballhandler against the help defense and followed that up with an offensive foul in transition; however, it was good to see him look at the rim with aggression. That said, pressurizing and then finishing in the paint are still big improvement areas.

Bailey is at his best as a play finisher. This has been the case all season, hence his tiny assist count, although that shouldn’t be an excuse for how outlier-low that is. The Rutgers prospect showed that off again against Princeton, taking catch-and-shoots and attacking off the catch. Bailey didn’t have any ball-stopping moments versus the Tigers, and almost had the game winner.

Defensively, Bailey crashed the glass well. He isn’t physical on defense, but his work on the boards (7.6 rebounds per game) probably doesn’t get enough credit. Then, Bailey’s length was a factor on a few drives.

Nets general manager Sean Marks has previously scouted Bailey and Harper in person, with Rutgers playing a short distance from New York City. Brooklyn's chief decision maker has already watched the Scarlet Knights prospects multiple times.

Xaivian Lee has first-round talent but with an undrafted frame. That mix makes him a second-round name to watch if he declares for the 2025 draft. The Canadian guard is a silky smooth ballhandler, capable of chaining together herky-jerky dribble combinations, attacking switches and dissecting defenses. Lee went 7-of-22 from the field, but he finished with 21 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and three steals nonetheless. It was a complete performance from the Princeton sophomore, especially in the second half.

The biggest knock on Lee is how skinny he is. It’s tough to envision his body holding up at the NBA level, even if some improvements have been made since he first burst on the scene at the 2023 FIBA U-19 World Cup. That said, the Tigers guard has a great motor. He keeps making efforts, driving against bigs and wanting the ball in big moments.

Caden Pierce was last season's Ivy League Player of the Year, and the Princeton junior proved why that was with a big time performance against Princeton with a game winner at the buzzer included. Pierce had 21 points and 14 rebounds, with seven of those being offensive rebounds.

Pierce’s strength towards the paint stands out. That’s how he secured the victory for Princeton, on an assertive post-up following a three from Bailey that looked like the winning shot for Rutgers. It'll be interesting to see whether Pierce's game against the Scarlet Knights marks a turnaround for the tough-minded 6-foot-7 forward, as he’d been unable to build on a very strong sophomore season so far.

Pierce probably wouldn’t hear his name called in the NBA Draft if he came out this year, but he’d be a strong post-draft pickup for the Summer League, an Exhibit 10 deal or similar opportunities.

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Wilko Martinez Cachero
WILKO MARTINEZ CACHERO

Wilko is a journalist and producer from Madrid, Spain. He is also the founder of FLOOR and CEILING on YouTube, focusing on the NBA Draft and youth basketball.

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