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NBA Draft Prospect Dylan Harper Out with Ankle Injury for Rutgers vs. Northwestern

Andrew Peters

One of the most enticing NBA draft prospects will miss his team's game on Wednesday.

Per ESPN's Jeff Borzello, Rutgers star freshman Dylan Harper is out of the Scarlet Knight's matchup against Northwestern. Brian Fonseca of the Star-Ledger added that Harper has been seen wearing a walking boot multiple times since Saturday and is evaluated as day-to-day.

Harper has been tremendous this season, putting up 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He's had a pair of 30-point-plus outings, dropping 36 against Notre Dame before posting 37 against Alabama.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projects Harper to go to the Utah Jazz with the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, only behind Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg.

Harper was a 5-star prospect and the No. 3 player in the country, according to 247Sports Composite. The New Jersey native picked Rutgers over Duke, Auburn and a handful of other top programs.

As good as Harper has been, it hasn't translated to wins for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are 10-10 on the year and 3-6 to start conference play, sitting in 13th in the Big Ten. They're coming off back-to-back losses to Penn State and Michigan State and are hoping to get back on track against Northwestern.

Without Harper, Rutgers will lean heavily on their other star freshman, Ace Bailey. The former No. 2 player in the nation is leading the Big Ten in scoring at 19.8 points per game while hauling in 7.9 boards.

Wasserman projects Bailey to go after Harper with the No. 3 pick in this year's draft.

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