Jared Harper declares for the NBA Draft, will sign with an agent

Image Credit: Dakota Sumpter/Auburn Athletics

Coming off a historic Final Four run, Jared Harper will forgo his senior season and declare for the NBA Draft.

The junior point guard made the announcement on Monday in a statement posted on his Twitter account. Harper said, "I would like to thank God for providing me with the talent to play the game game I love. With the support from our coaching staff and my family, I have decided to chase my lifelong dream of playing in the NBA." Harper confirmed he will sign with an agent to help guide him through the pre-draft process.

In his statement, Harper credited his success to a multitude of members of the Auburn family. Harper said, "I would like to thank Coach Pearl for believing in me, the entire coaching staff, our managers, our fans, my teammates and the best straight coach and athletic trainer Coach Damon and Clark! You guys were key to me never missing a game at Auburn and always having me prepared to compete at the highest level every game."

Head Coach Bruce Pearl fully supported Harper declaring for the draft. He said, "He came here on a promise that we could help make Auburn Basketball relevant. Promises made. Promises kept.“ Pearl also has confidence that Harper can make a name for himself at the highest level, he said, “I have always been a believer in Jared. 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."

Looking into his draft stock, which has been on the rise in the last few weeks, Harper is currently rated #61 on ESPN's NBA Draft Big Board and #74 on Bleacher Report's Big Board. This means that Harper is currently looking at being selected as a late second round pick or potentially going unselected. The Mableton native will look to boost his draft stock throughout the pre-draft process through working out for teams and participating in the NBA Draft combine.

Harper might be overlooked by NBA scouts because of his lack of size and athleticism, but he possesses a lot of tools that can help him carve out a spot in the league. Throughout his career, Harper has been an excellent driver and shot-maker, as well as having a level of toughness that helped him become one of the NCAA's top point guards.

The former four star recruit finished his career at Auburn University averaging 15.5 points per game, 4.8 assists per game, while shooting 38.4% from the field and 35.9% from behind the three point line. Harper was selected to the 2019 NCAA Tournament All-Region team. He also led the Tigers to a SEC regular season championship in 2018, a SEC tournament championship in 2019 and the school's first Final Four appearance in 2019.