Jared Harper signs summer-league deal with Suns
Another Tiger is being given a chance in the NBA.
After forward Chuma Okeke was drafted with the No. 16 pick by Orlando and shooting guard Bryce Brown was picked up by the Kings, Jared Harper was signed as an undrafted free agent to Phoenix's summer league team Friday morning.
Like Brown, Harper will compete with other NBA rookies, as well as NBA sophomores, for a roster spot on either an NBA or G League team.
A 5-foot-10 point guard from Mableton, Ga., Harper was Auburn's offensive maestro amid the rise of Bruce Pearl's program, starting all three of his seasons on the Plains before deciding to forego his senior year and declare for the draft April 9.
“Jared Harper has been the quarterback of this basketball program for the last three years,” Pearl said when Harper declared. “He came here on a promise that together we could help make Auburn basketball relevant. Promises made. Promises kept."
He averaged just over 15 points per game the past two seasons, with his assists average rising from 3.0 to 5.4 to 5.8 per game in his junior campaign, in which he dished out 231 assists, the top single-season mark in program history. His 511 career assists are fifth in Auburn history.
Harper was Auburn's most consistent free-throw shooter during his time with the Tigers, checking in at a 82.8 percent clip last season.
Harper made two All-SEC appearances in the orange and blue and is one of five players in conference history to tally 1,400 points, 500 assists and 200 made 3-pointers in a career.
After Eddie Johnson (1973-77), Harper is the second player in Auburn history with 1,250 points, 450 assists, 350 free-throw makes and 200 rebounds. He finished his Auburn career as the No. 14 all-time scorer (1,247 points) and No. 6 from downtown (213 3-pointers).
Despite his stature, Harper came through in the clutch time and time again for the Tigers over the course of his career. Like the rest of the team, some of Harper's best performances came during the Tigers' magical postseason run to the Final Four.
His most memorable include dropping 19 in the second half against South Carolina in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, hitting a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left to put Auburn up four points in the SEC semifinals against Florida and scoring 12 of Auburn's 17 points in overtime in a win over Kentucky in the Elite Eight en route to being named Midwest Regional MVP.
"My dream coming out of high school was to lead Auburn to a national championship and we were close," Harper said in April.
Harper's ability to finish over top of NBA talent as Auburn dug deeper in the postseason increased his draft stock enough to considering declaring the best move, then his performance in the NBA G League combine shot that stock up further.
He was called "the best player on the floor" during the camp in Chicago, resulting in an invite to the NBA Combine later that week.
“I have always been a believer in Jared," Pearl said. "He is a special player with speed, quickness, power and a skill level that is unmatched by virtually any player his size. He will make it in the NBA.”
