The Celtics had a lot of incredible stories about breakout players this season, and one of the best was Ron Harper Jr. and his rise from a two-way player in the G-League to a standard contract and an occasional part of the rotation.
Unfortunately and unfairly, his season will largely be remembered by Joe Mazzulla’s puzzling decision to start RHJ in Game 7 against the 76ers after playing no meaningful minutes prior to that in the series. The start went about as disastrously as one could expect, with Harper Jr. being thrust into a brutal situation for no good reason.
But Harper Jr. really did have an awesome year that’s worthy of fond remembrance. After going undrafted in 2022, he bounced around the G-League, appearing in just 11 total games. That all changed this year as he dominated up in Portland, earning a spot on an All-G-League team before being promoted to Boston.
He played in 29 games for the Celtics and had a few very memorable moments, including a shocking performance in Houston, going toe-to-toe with his brother in San Antonio, and an unforgettable 27-point showing in the season-finale victory over the Magic.
Ron earned his minutes in Boston and was rewarded, thanks in part to the team’s cap gymnastics, with a standard contract. He proved to be a versatile player on both ends of the court with solid size and strength, and he should continue to see increased opportunity with the Celtics.
Dylan Harper breaking out for Spurs in playoffs
And not that there’s a direct effect, but it’s hard not to watch what Ron’s younger brother is doing as a rookie for the Spurs, and not see the vision. Dylan Harper was the second overall pick in the draft and was slowplayed a bit in his rookie year. But he came along as the season went on and has been shining in the playoffs.
He really got his chance to steal the moment in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals in Oklahoma City, getting the start with De’Aaron Fox sidelined with an ankle injury, and boy, did he meet the moment. Harper certainly didn’t look like a 20-year-old, proving to be one of the best players on the court and playing an incredible 46 minutes and putting up 24 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 7 steals in an all-time double-overtime win.
DYLAN HARPER (24 PTS, 11 REB, 6 AST, 7 STL) joins Magic Johnson (2x) as the only rookies since 1973–74 (first season steals were fully recorded) to record 15+ PTS, 5+ REB, and 5+ STL in a Conference Finals game!@spurs take a 1-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nEvTsGTOMa
— NBA (@NBA) May 19, 2026
Maybe this is crazy optimism, but watching Dylan, you can see a lot of Ron Jr. in his movements and style. Dylan is obviously the much better player and is likely on his way to superstardom, but Ron can play a similar way and brings a comparable skill set to the table. He’s the son of an NBA champion and grew up competing with his all-world brother.
The genes and the competitive juices are clearly all there for RHJ, who’s still just 26. Hopefully, he’s just a bit of a late bloomer after reshaping his body and game since college. This season was a great first step, and ideally, he can model his game around what his brother is doing and become an important player for the Celtics going forward.
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