NBA draft stock watch: Will Ron Harper Jr., Scotty Pippen Jr. follow in dads' NBA footsteps?

Ron Harper Jr. of Rutgers and Scotty Pippen Jr. of Vanderbilt are already household names in the world of basketball, thanks in large part to the way their fathers -- Ron Harper and Scottie Pippen -- excelled as teammates for the NBA championship-winning Chicago Bulls of the 1990s.

But the younger Harper and Pippen are hardly coasting on name cachet alone -- both college players have very real NBA dreams, and both appeared on ESPN's most recent listing of the top 25 collegiate players of 2020-21. With that in mind, NBA draft experts Jonathan Givony and Michael Schmitz sized up the pro potential of both players, including the similarities and differences to their famous fathers' games, while recruiting expert Adam Finkelstein discussed the evolution of both players' play since they arrived on the prep basketball scene.

How have Harper Jr. and Pippen Jr. evolved as players since you first saw them at the prep level?

Both Harper and Pippen have vastly exceeded external expectations. Neither was an ESPN 100 prospect in high school, nor were they heavily recruited at the high-major level, in large part because of concerns about their body types, albeit for different reasons.

Harper had a stocky build and was in many ways the antithesis of the long prototype that is typically associated with the high-major level. He also was relatively unproven against top national competition, after playing for a grassroots program coached by his parents and not on a sneaker circuit.

Rutgers was one year into Steve Pikiell's tenure when assistant coach Brandin Knight was front and center for a local team camp event in July 2017 when Harper outdueled the likes of Louis King and Luther Muhammad. Harper visited the Rutgers campus following the recruiting period and committed shortly afterward, with Wisconsin being the only other high-major program to be actively involved.

What Harper always could do was shoot the ball, and he has gotten back to that core competency this year, not just as a spot-up shooter, but as someone who can make tough shots. Simultaneously, his athleticism and footspeed have evolved significantly in the past three years, though he has maintained the advantages of being a big-bodied wing.

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Scottie Pippen on hand to watch son play Kentucky

NBA legend Scottie Pippen is in attendance at Vanderbilt Memorial Gymnasium to watch his son, Scotty Pippen Jr., take on Kentucky.

In Pippen's case, the physical concerns stemmed from his lean frame and occasional inability to play through contact. He had put up good numbers in the EYBL, proved his ability to score against quality competition, and had an excellent instinctive feel for the game. Nevertheless, Washington State was the only high-major program that had offered him coming into his senior year.

Vanderbilt came into the picture a couple of months later as assistant coach Jake Diebler, who is now at Ohio State, was intrigued by his productivity and instincts, along with the potential for a late growth spurt given his father's similar history. Pippen committed about a month later to then-Vandy head coach Bryce Drew, but has played his entire career at Vanderbilt under Jerry Stackhouse after the coaching change that spring.

What's ironic is that the growth spurt never happened -- Pippen is maybe an inch or so taller than he was in high school -- but his game still ascended rapidly. Whatever physical limitations he might have had seem to have been exaggerated and the gains he has made in the weight room, while not especially flashy, have strengthened his core and improved his balance. His scoring and playmaking ability ended up translating far easier than most projected, in large part because he's extremely crafty and a much better finisher at the rim than expected. -- Adam Finkelstein

What differences/similarities do Harper Jr.'s and Pippen Jr.'s games have to their father's games? How is the league different in this era?

I'm not going to pretend to have been in the scouting weeds when Ron Harper and Scottie Pippen were Bulls teammates from 1994 to 1999, winning three NBA titles. But ESPN's The Last Dance led me to rewatch the mid-'90s Bulls teams that characterized my childhood, in turn, reacquainting myself with the careers of Harper and Pippen.

As Adam pointed out, Scotty Pippen Jr. clearly didn't have the same type of late growth spurt as his father, who shot up from 6-1 as a high school senior to 6-8 during his time at Central Arkansas ... where he started out as an equipment manager. The Scottie Pippen who Bulls fans eventually grew to know and love influenced winning in virtually every area of the game. Dynamite in transition with incredible length, long strides, huge hands and impressive run-and-jump ability, Pippen is one of only two players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.0 block per game over the course of a season. The other? Michael Jordan. Simply put, Pippen is one of the best two-way players the NBA has ever seen with a style of play ideally suited for modern basketball, thanks to his versatility, defensive impact and ability to operate as a point forward.

While Pippen Jr. clearly isn't blessed with the same physical gifts as his father, his solid, overall feel for the game was passed on, and he's most certainly a better perimeter shooter than his father, who shot 32.9% from 3 and 70.2% from the free throw line over his 1,178-game NBA career.

As for the Harpers, Ron Harper Sr. was a "bucket" just like his son at the collegiate level, averaging more than 24 points both his junior and senior season at Miami Ohio. Over the course of his four-year career, Harper scored just under 2,400 points, grabbed over 1,100 rebounds and dished out 338 assists, winning Mid-American Conference Player of the Year twice. Harper also was a strong defender in college, averaging 2.4 steals and 1.5 blocks in 34.4 minutes per game over 120 games.

A long, bouncy guard who eventually participated in the NBA dunk contest, Harper did more or less everything well on the floor in college, outside of shooting the deep ball, which wasn't anywhere near as prevalent as it is now and wasn't even installed in the college game until the year after he graduated. But Harper brought his collegiate scoring prowess to the NBA as a rookie in Cleveland, averaging 22.9 points (including a 40-point game) and finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting. The Harper most people remember, however, is the hard-nosed defender who filled a more specific role in Chicago, leaning on his defense and playmaking to have a role alongside Pippen, Jordan & Co.

In today's game, playing a defensive-minded guard like Harper -- who shot just 19% from 3 during the 1997-98 season -- alongside two shot creators like Jordan and Pippen, wouldn't exactly fly from a spacing standpoint. But that was a sign of the times. That season, the Bulls had just two players average more than one made 3 per game (Pippen and Steve Kerr), and just three players who finished the year over 30% from distance. During the Bulls' dramatic Game 6 win over the Jazz to cap the 1998 season, each team shot just 10 3s. During the Lakers' Game 6 win over the Heat last season, LeBron James and company hoisted 35 triples. Clearly the game has changed and the difference between Ron Harper Jr.'s and Ron Harper Sr.'s strengths and weaknesses speak to that evolution.

With all that in mind, Harper Jr. and his father were different in terms of body type, athleticism, defense and offensive style as Harper Jr. is a shot-maker by trade. Harper Sr. didn't crack 100 made 3s until his fifth NBA season and shot just 28.9% from distance over his NBA career. Harper Jr., however, is already at 100 made 3s through 73 collegiate games and projects as a floor-spacer at the next level. Although competitive like his father, Harper Jr.'s question marks -- defensive, conditioning, athletic upside -- were some of Harper Sr.'s strengths, and vice versa. Each with different physical attributes and styles of play during an era of basketball that's almost unrecognizable from the grit-and-grind days of the mid-'90s NBA, Pippen Jr. and Harper Jr. are in line to chart their own paths to the next level. -- Mike Schmitz

Could either Harper Jr. or Pippen Jr. have a place at the next level? What does each need to work on?

Both are legitimate NBA prospects, although at 20 years old, Pippen and Harper might be better off being patient in how they approach the draft.

After a strong freshman season that earned him a spot on the SEC's All-Rookie team, Pippen has evolved into one of the best young point guards in college basketball, averaging 21 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds per game on solid efficiency. The only thing holding him back from being recognized as such nationally is the fact that Vanderbilt is 4-6 (with no notable wins) and 0-4 in SEC play, a year after finishing last in the SEC at 3-15.

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the Commodores' non-conference schedule, with issues in the program causing them to cancel several marquee non-conference matchups at the Mohegan Sun against the likes of UConn, USC/BYU and SMU. They've also been forced to postpone three SEC games so far, most recently on Tuesday when their game against Texas A&M was called off. All the stopping and starting and quarantining surely hasn't helped Pippen develop chemistry with a roster that lost two players to the NBA draft in Aaron Nesmith (No. 14 pick) and Saben Lee (No. 38), but he's done an admirable job of showing his talent regardless. He accounts for 53% of Vanderbilt's offense (either by scoring or passing), one of the highest rates in the college game.

Measured at 6-1, 159 pounds prior to enrolling at Vanderbilt, Pippen has grown since arriving on campus, now listed at 6-3 and 170 pounds. He's still slight of frame, but is an improved athlete, playing above the rim in the open floor and showing impressive speed changing gears getting into the lane.

Pippen's best virtues as a prospect revolve around his ball-handling ability, pace and all-around feel for the game. He does a great job of keeping defenders off balance with the way he probes with his dribble, stopping and starting, splitting ball-screens, putting defenders in jail and letting things open up around him before deciding on his next move --something you normally don't see from players his age. He gets to the free throw line at an outstanding rate for that exact reason, as he's not afraid of contact, is intelligent about using his body to create space, and is highly creative with the way he finishes using either hand.

A capable passer, Pippen reads the floor well and can deliver the ball accurately using both sides of the floor and either hand. He's still evolving as a decision-maker, though, as he can be very turnover-prone trying to force the issue excessively at times, which is partially a product of the lack of talent on the roster and the way defenses load up on him. His own lack of experience at the point guard position is also a factor here, after splitting ball-handling responsibilities with Lee, an All-SEC player, last season.

To maximize his draft stock, he'll have to find more consistency in this area, as well as improve his perimeter shooting, an area where he's made strides but still has more room to grow, especially shooting off the dribble.

Guards in his mold who have found a niche in the NBA are usually those who are automatic in punishing defenses for going under ball-screens from the 3-point line, and are capable of hitting tough mid-range shots to avoid playing in traffic, where he also struggles at times.

Pippen's defense is another area that scouts will scrutinize, as he has average tools in terms of size, strength and length. He's highly effective at getting in passing lanes and will show you flashes of potential getting over screens and pressuring the ball, but he isn't consistent in this area in terms of his focus or intensity, likely due to the heavy load he's asked to shoulder offensively, as he ranks fifth in the country in usage rate.

The choppy nature of the season hasn't done Pippen Jr. and Vanderbilt any favors, and, barring a huge turnaround over the remainder of the SEC slate, it feels like he's a year or two away from maximizing his draft stock. Adding strength, gaining consistency as a shooter, defender and finisher, while showing he can quarterback a team to victories are likely the best ways to build up his candidacy as an NBA prospect, as he's unlikely to blow scouts away with sheer upside.

Harper Jr. looked like he was en route to an All-American caliber season a month into 2020-21, leading Rutgers to a 7-1 record and top-15 AP ranking with huge individual performances in particular against Syracuse, Maryland and Illinois where he made a combined 15 3-pointers and averaged 27 points per game. A sprained ankle suffered shortly after caused him to miss one game and has contributed to Rutgers dropping six of their last seven games, with Harper struggling badly along the way.

Only a career 34% 3-point shooter and 59% from the free throw line, NBA scouts are now wondering whether Harper simply hit an extremely hot streak to start the season or if the ankle injury he suffered merely threw him off track temporarily.

Standing 6-6, Harper sees most of his minutes at power forward for Rutgers, something that is made possible by his 245-pound frame and near 7-foot wingspan. He's not going to blow anyone away athletically so getting in better shape will definitely be a prerequisite for him to maximize his draft stock, something that could be done over the course of an offseason or possibly over the course of the pre-draft process.