By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-05-15 14:11:16
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
2025年5月14日，迪伦·哈珀在芝加哥举行的2025年NBA选秀联合试训中接受媒体采访。(美联社图片/Nam Y. Huh)
芝加哥——前罗格斯大学的队友迪伦·哈珀(Dylan Harper)和埃斯·贝利(Ace Bailey)在本周的NBA选秀联合试训中，没有回避关于猩红骑士队上赛季未能进入NCAA锦标赛的任何问题。
“我觉得我们经历了很多起起落落，”哈珀说。“但最终，就像生活不会是完美的。但每一天，你都必须出去完成你的工作。显然，我们没有像大家想象的那样拥有灰姑娘的故事，但我不会为了任何事情改变它。我会再做一遍。”
哈珀不后悔的一个重要原因是，与贝利并肩作战让两人建立了牢固的联系。在芝加哥的每一个转折点，这两位预计的前五顺位新秀都吹捧对方是未来的NBA球星。
迪伦·哈珀谈论罗格斯错过疯狂三月。（视频由 @ tomorsborn.bsky.social提供）
[图像或嵌入]— Nick Talbot (@ nicholasrtalbot.bsky.social) 2025年5月15日下午1:53
身高6英尺4英寸半的后卫哈珀正受到马刺队的关注，此前他们在周一的乐透抽签中获得了第二顺位。身高6英尺7英寸半的前锋贝利可能在第三顺位被费城选中。
“他想得分的时候就能得分，他能组织，能助攻，能防守，他什么都能做，”哈珀在谈到贝利时说，贝利上赛季场均得到17.6分，是球队最高的7.2个篮板。“而且他的（篮球智商）被严重低估了。”
贝利谈到哈珀，后者场均得到19.4分、4.6个篮板和4.0次助攻时说：“一名伟大的控球后卫。我的意思是，你无法让他加速，也无法让他减速。他按照自己的节奏打球，传出正确的球，而且他也知道如何得分。”
哈珀和贝利希望成为自2019年以来第一对在前五顺位被选中的大学队友，当时杜克的锡安·威廉姆森(Zion Williamson)在第一顺位被新奥尔良选中，RJ·巴雷特(RJ Barrett)在第三顺位被纽约选中。
那么，拥有这两位天才球员的罗格斯大学是如何错过疯狂三月的呢？
大多数观察家认为，猩红骑士队的整体年轻是最大的原因。在史蒂夫·皮基尔教练(Steve Pikiell)的带领下，尽管拥有学校历史上最好的新秀阵容，但罗格斯大学连续第二个赛季以15胜17负的战绩结束，在大十联盟中以8胜12负的战绩结束，其阵容中的15名球员中有8名是新生，包括哈珀和贝利。
另一个问题是：猩红骑士队并没有像一个有凝聚力的整体那样运作，有时似乎更像是展示他们两位未来乐透秀的技能。例如：在罗格斯大学于大十联盟锦标赛第一轮以97-89双加时输给南加州大学的比赛中，哈珀和贝利合计得到44分，而球队其他三名首发球员合计得到13分。
“生活就是这样，”贝利谈到猩红骑士队令人失望的赛季时说。“我们没有预料到这一点。我们想走得更远。但我想生活想让我们（走）另一条路。一切的发生都是有原因的。”
贝利说，罗格斯大学未能进入NCAA锦标赛的事件，在他与芝加哥的NBA球队会面时“被提及了几次”。他将其解读为一线希望，即他可以度过艰难的时期，并且为漫长的职业生涯做好更好的准备。
“逆境，它会发生，”贝利说。“你不能考虑那场比赛。你输了，你必须参加下一场比赛，因为一个赛季有82场比赛。这比大学时要多得多，所以你没有太多的时间坐下来想‘我输了’。你必须继续前进，继续比赛。”
除了令人印象深刻的技能之外，19岁的哈珀和18岁的贝利也拥有乐观、有趣的个性。贝利将自己和哈珀描述为“健全、谦逊”的人。
“我是一个非常有活力的人……非常开心，令人振奋，”贝利说。“非常有趣。我喜欢和我在一起。……如果有人心情不好，我就是那种会开个玩笑让别人笑的人。”
在上赛季的球场上，贝利让对手皱眉。他可以在球场的任何地方投篮，包括对抗激烈的投篮。
“T-Mac，年轻的T-Mac，”哈珀在被问到他会将贝利比作谁时说，这里的“T-Mac”指的是名人堂成员特雷西·麦克格雷迪(Tracy McGrady)。
“就像非常抽搐，”哈珀补充道。“抽搐，（可以）统治。他可以得分，他可以到达他的位置。他会将他的意志强加于比赛。”
哈珀也可以这样说，他利用自己惊人的速度和力量的结合来下坡，欺负防守者并终结在油漆区。
哈珀的父亲是罗恩·哈珀(Ron Harper)，他在15年的职业生涯中赢得了五次NBA总冠军，其中三次效力于迈克尔·乔丹的芝加哥公牛队，两次效力于沙奎尔·奥尼尔、科比·布莱恩特领导的洛杉矶湖人队。
“小时候，我妈妈不让我投跳投，所以我不得不进入油漆区，”哈珀谈到他的母亲玛丽亚时说，玛丽亚是他的第一任教练。“现在，（突破上篮）已经成为一种第二天性，”小哈珀补充道。
虽然马刺队正在关注哈珀，但贝利有可能跌出76人队的选择范围，76人队也可能在研究得克萨斯大学的特雷·约翰逊(Tre Johnson)和贝勒大学的VJ·埃奇科姆(VJ Edgecombe)。
贝利的其他潜在落脚点包括第四顺位的夏洛特、第五顺位的犹他和第六顺位的华盛顿。达拉斯拥有第一顺位，据报道已经决定将其用于杜克的库珀·弗拉格(Cooper Flagg)，他是公认的头号新秀。
“我们都很酷，”贝利谈到顶尖新秀时说。“我们都希望看到彼此进入下一个阶段，（看到）所有的梦想都成真。”
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Cooper Flagg (51), Khaman Maluach (14) and Ace Bailey (21) participate at the 2025 NBA basketball Draft Combine in Chicago, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Rutgers guard Ace Bailey (4) shoots against Texas A&M forward Solomon Washington (9) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Ace Bailey talks to media at the 2025 NBA basketball Draft Combine in Chicago, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Ace Bailey warms up at the 2025 NBA basketball draft combine in Chicago, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Dylan Harper talks to media at the 2025 NBA basketball Draft Combine in Chicago, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
点击查看原文：Harper, Bailey not shying away from Rutgers' disappointing season
Harper, Bailey not shying away from Rutgers’ disappointing season
Dylan Harper talks to media at the 2025 NBA basketball Draft Combine in Chicago, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
CHICAGO – Former Rutgers teammates Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey didn’t dodge any questions that came up this week at the NBA draft combine about the Scarlet Knights’ failure to make the NCAA Tournament last season.
“We went through a lot of ups and downs, I feel like,” Harper said. “But ultimately, it was just like life ain’t going to be perfect. But every day, you’ve got to go out there and do your job. Obviously, we didn’t have the Cinderella story everyone thought we were going to have, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I would do it all over again.”
A big reason why Harper has no regrets is playing alongside Bailey allowed the duo to form a strong bond. At every turn in Chicago, the two projected top-five picks have touted each other as future NBA stars.
Dylan Harper talking about Rutgers missing March Madness. (Video by @ tomorsborn.bsky.social)
[image or embed]— Nick Talbot (@ nicholasrtalbot.bsky.social) May 15, 2025 at 1:53 PM
A 6-foot-4 ½ guard, Harper is being eyed by the Spurs after they landed the No. 2 overall pick in the lottery Monday. A 6-7 ½ forward, Bailey could go as high as No. 3 to Philadelphia.
“He can score when he wants to, he can play make, facilitate, defend, he can do everything,” Harper said of Bailey, who averaged 17.6 points and team-best 7.2 rebounds last season. “And his (basketball IQ) is very underrated.”
Said Bailey of Harper, who averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists, “A great point guard. I mean, you can’t speed him up. You can’t slow him down. He plays at his own pace, makes the right pass and he also knows how to get a bucket too.”
Harper and Bailey hope to become the first pair of college teammates to be drafted in the top five since 2019, when Duke’s Zion Williamson went No. 1 to New Orleans and RJ Barrett went No. 3 to New York.
So how did Rutgers, with those two talented players, miss out on March Madness?
Most observers pointed to the Scarlet Knights’ overall youth as the biggest reason. In finishing 15-17 overall for the second season in a row and 8-12 in the Big Ten despite having the best recruiting class in school history under coach Steve Pikiell, Rutgers sported eight freshmen, including Harper and Bailey, among the 15 players on its roster.
Another problem: Rather than operating like a cohesive unit, the Scarlet Knights at times seemed to be more of a showcase for the skills of their two future lottery picks. Case in point: In Rutgers’ 97-89 double overtime loss to Southern Cal in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, Harper and Bailey combined for 44 points while the team’s other three starters posted a combined 13.
“Life happens,” Bailey said of the Scarlet Knight’s disappointing season. “We didn’t expect that. We wanted to go further. But I guess life wanted us (to go) the other way. Everything happens for a reason.”
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Bailey said Rutgers’ failure to make the NCAA tournament came up “a couple times” in his meetings in Chicago with NBA teams. He spun it as a silver lining in the sense that he can get through tough times and is better prepared for the rigors on the long pro campaign.
“Adversity, it’s going to happen,” Bailey said. “You can’t think about that game. You lost, you’ve got to go to the next game because it’s 82 games in a season. It’s way more than it was in college, so you’re not going to have much time to sit back and be like ‘I lost.’ You got to move on, keep playing.”
In addition to their impressive skill sets, Harper, 19, and Bailey, 18, also share up-beat, fun-loving personalities. Bailey described himself and Harper as “wholesome, humble” guys.
“I’m a very energetic guy … very having fun, uplifting,” Bailey said. “Very funny. I like to be around me. …If somebody is having a bad day, I’m the type of person to come crack a joke to make somebody laugh.”
On the court last season, Bailey made opponents frown. He can make shots all over the court, including strongly contested ones.
“T-Mac, a young T-Mac,” Harper said when asked who he would compare Bailey to, with ‘T-Mac’ being a reference to Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady.
“Like very twitchy,” Harper added. “Twitchy, (can) dominate. He can get a bucket, he can get to his spot. He’s going to force his will on the game.”
The same can be said of Harper, who uses his impressive combination of speed and strength to get downhill, bully his way past defenders and finish at the paint.
Harper’s father is Ron Harper, who won five NBA championships in his 15-year playing career, claiming three with Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and two with the Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers.
“When I was younger, my mom didn’t let me shoot jump shots, so I had to get into the paint,” Harper said of his mother, Maria, who served as his first coach. “Now, it (driving to the hoop) is kind of second nature,” the younger Harper added.
While the Spurs are eyeing Harper, it’s possible Bailey could fall past the Sixers, who could also be studying Texas’ Tre Johnson and Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe.
Other landing spots for Bailey include Charlotte at No. 4, Utah at No. 5 and Washington at No. 6. Dallas owns the No. 1 pick and has reportedly decided to use it on Duke’s Cooper Flagg, the consensus top prospect.
“We all cool,” Bailey said of the top prospects. “We all want to see each other make it to the next level, (to see) all dreams come true.”
By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News