Dylan Harper in the spotlight: Fil-Am point guard seen to be among NBA Draft top picks

Dylan Harper. Instagram/@dylharpp

MANILA — In the recent episode of SLAM, NBA fans and draft enthusiasts can get to know Dylan Harper more, the Filipino-American 6'7" point guard from New Jersey who is projected to be among the top picks in this year's NBA draft.

Dylan has NBA in his blood as he is the son of Ron Harper, a five-time NBA champion.

But more than his family ties, Dylan exhibits strong commitment in improving his basketball skills to reach his dreams.

"He works really hard. He'll grind early morning and late night. When he cares about something, he'll figure out every single way he can be good at it. So he watches a game and sees a move, he'll google a move, he'll watch it over and over again, then go by himself until he masters it," said Maria Harper, Dylan's mom.

Maria was born in the Philippines and immigrated with her three sisters and mother in the United States at the age of 7.

Maria is herself a former Division I player at the University of New Orleans who coached basketball high school team in New Jersey. She said she could see the same passion and grit from her son as she saw in her players.

"He's determined and he doesn't think like there's anything he can't accomplish," she stressed.

The 19-year-old rising star has been a standout guard from Don Bosco Prep to Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The former's head coach Kevin Diverio could attest to his abilities.

Fil-Am Dylan Harper makes Team USA U-19 squad

"He is probably the most well-rounded player and most skilled player I ever had by far," Diverio said, commending Dylan's dedication to trainings.

"He would be in the gym 4 a.m., 4:30 in the morning, for workout, come to school, go to practice, go back to the gym get another 250 another shots up, and that was just daily occurrence," he added.

As for Dylan, he said he has all his eyes and attention on his goals. Mentioning some sacrifices, he said he had to remove all the distractions to keep his focus on the ball.

"Office hours are 24/7. It's a grind day all day. No days off I mean, every point of your day you're doing something to better yourself or to reach your goal," he emphasized.

Dylan has been dribbling the ball since he was a toddler, it was among the best things he had ever known and fought for.

As for his preparations for the NBA draft, his trainer Kenneth Miller said they are prioritizing conditioning, heavy balancing, training shooting moves and transitions, and being able to make shots "in a high difficulty".

"He's always had his vision to reach every single goal that he's had. Being the best player of NBA is definitely one of them," Mina Pizarro said, Dylan's aunt.

But apart from typical trainings and routines, Dylan has more gems empowering him: his grandparents.

"He's a superman," Manuel Pizarro, Dylan's grandfather, said cheerfully.

The standout guard also has a close relationship with his grandmother, who cooks him his favorite native Filipino food: chicken adobo.

"The draft is gonna happen for him and he had expressed that he wants us to be there. It would be the happiest moment for our lives because he had achieved his dreams," his grandmother stated.

A two-round process, the annual NBA draft is where NBA teams select eligible college and international players to join their groups. The first round is set on June 25, then the second round is on the day after.