NBA Exec Calls Out Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey for Not Having Winning Record at Rutgers

The Rutgers star freshman duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey likely will be selected early in next week's 2025 NBA draft, but not everyone is convinced of their abilities to turn a franchise around.

While speaking to The Athletic's David Aldridge, a Western Conference executive questioned why Harper and Bailey failed to lead Rutgers to a winning season or an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

"What I struggle most with is you have him and Ace Bailey, who are quote-unquote top five players in this draft, and you couldn’t post a winning record in college and in the Big Ten," the exec said. "That’s concerning to me. What’s missing there?"

Both Harper and Bailey were regarded as two of the best freshmen in the nation with averages of 19.4 points and 17.6 points per game, respectively. However, no other player on the Scarlet Knights averaged 10 points or more, and the team finished with a 15-17 record and failed to qualify for March Madness.

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman predicted in his latest mock draft that Harper would be selected second overall by the San Antonio Spurs, while Bailey was picked sixth by the Washington Wizards.

While recent reports suggest that Bailey could fall out of the top three in this year's draft, Harper appears to be locked in at No. 2 following his breakout season. The executive acknowledged that he isn't solely to blame for Rutgers' struggles, but they still would prefer a player with a winning track record when picking that high in the draft.

"That’s a little bit of an issue to me, how much he can impact winning. But I can’t put it all on his shoulders," the exec said of Harper. "For me, when you’re drafting that high, you’re looking for somebody who could impact winning. Cade [Cunningham] didn’t have a great team with him at Oklahoma State, but they went to the NCAA Tournament."

Despite the questions surrounding Harper's chances of being a winning player, he still has the athletic traits and the mental makeup that make him a very attractive prospect.

"Obviously, like the size for the position. I think he’s going to have to be more of the Cade type," the exec said. "He doesn’t have that elite burst. His thing is he’s big and strong. He’s got to use that to his advantage. His shooting has to get better. But he’s got an understanding and a feel."