Team: Boston Celtics · Wing · Age 26 · Base role: three-minute point-of-attack reserve
Projection card
| GP | MPG | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | .425 | .770 | 0.1 |
Correction 2026-07-18: minutes cut from 8.0 to 3.0 and appearances from 55 to 50. Mike Conley's base was raised from 4 to 8 minutes, and the two compete for the same third-guard shift behind Pritchard and White; Conley is the better organizer and the only natural point guard of the pair. Harper's three-year contract secures the roster spot, not the rotation spot. His 11.0 MPG across 29 games in 2025-26 came largely in the Tatum-absence stretch.
Nine-category: waiver player outside very deep leagues; a low-turnover threes/stocks streamer when multiple wings sit. Points: needs a 20-minute injury role to matter. Dynasty: deep hold in 20-plus-team formats because the three-year contract and two-way utility create a viable NBA floor, though the age-26 ceiling is modest.
Why the line looks like this
Harper converted a two-way opportunity into 29 NBA games in 2025-26, averaging 4.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.6 combined steals/blocks in 11.0 minutes. Before receiving the standard deal, Maine reported 24.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.6 blocks with a 45.5% field-goal mark. The large NBA/G League rate gap is treated as context-dependent, not as hidden NBA star production.
His best proof of concept came in a first NBA start against Houston: 11 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three threes while drawing Kevin Durant work. Boston then re-signed him for a reported three years and $9 million. That establishes roster legitimacy, but Tatum, George, Gonzalez, Scheierman and Hauser all remain ahead in offensive priority.
Sources: NBA/Celtics report on Harper's extension, Celtics report on his first start, Basketball Reference 2025-26 Celtics.
Category shape
- Potential wins with minutes: threes, wing rebounds and defensive events.
- Neutral: low turnovers and adequate FT shooting.
- Costs: low usage, uncertain FG%, and no category scales enough at three minutes.
- Build fit: deep dynasty or a short-term stream when Boston needs a stronger perimeter defender.
Floor, base, ceiling
- Floor: sits outside the competitive rotation and appears mainly in injury/blowout games; no redraft value.
- Base: 50 appearances at three minutes, with a nominal scoring line.
- Ceiling: injuries create 20-22 minutes and his Maine stocks partly translate; about 8 points, four rebounds, 1.2 threes and one combined stock, viable in deep leagues.
Risk and confidence
| Component | Confidence | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Roster | High | Newly signed three-year standard contract |
| Minutes | Low | Crowded wing group and no guaranteed offensive role |
| Rates | Low-medium | Strong G League data but only 29 NBA games |
| Availability | Medium-high | No major current injury flag; role drives GP more than health |
Harper becomes materially more interesting if camp lineups use him as the second-unit stopper ahead of Walsh and Hauser. If he remains a third-unit wing, the contract alone does not create fantasy volume.
Career record
Pre-NBA: Four seasons at Rutgers (Big Ten), 2018-19 through 2021-22, improving every year: 7.8 points as a freshman, then 12.1, 14.9 and 15.8 points with 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists as a senior. Third-team All-Big Ten in 2021, second-team All-Big Ten and AP honorable mention All-American in 2022, plus the Haggerty Award. Draft: undrafted (2022).
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 23 | TOR | 9 | 5.3 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | .500 | 1.000 | 0.0 |
| 2023-24 | 24 | TOR | 1 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | — | 0.0 |
| 2024-25 | 25 | DET | 1 | 17.0 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .125 | 1.000 | 0.0 |
| 2025-26 | 26 | BOS | 29 | 11.0 | 4.2 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.0 | .418 | .750 | 0.3 |
| Career | 40 | 9.7 | 3.7 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.8 | .410 | .857 | 0.2 |
Four NBA seasons but only 40 games; the sample is too small to carry rate information. The G League is the real body of work. In 2025-26 with the Maine Celtics he started all 18 appearances and averaged 25.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks in 31.2 minutes, made All-NBA G League Third Team, and scored 46 against Delaware on November 21.
Durability: 9, 1, 1, 29 games. Only one absence is injury-driven: Toronto waived him in December 2023 after he required season-ending shoulder surgery. The other low totals are roster status, not health. He spent 2022-23 and 2023-24 on two-way deals with Toronto, signed a two-way with Detroit in January 2025, and was on a Boston two-way until the Celtics converted him to a standard contract on April 4, 2026.
Trajectory: A four-year two-way survivor who finally produced NBA evidence in 2025-26, most of it during the stretch Boston was short-handed. The G League scoring is real but came at a usage level he will never see in Boston, so treat the gap as role, not hidden upside. He is competing for the third-guard/second-unit-stopper shift behind Pritchard, White and Mike Conley, and the new multiyear deal secures the roster spot rather than the minutes. He matters in fantasy only if two of Boston's wings miss extended time and he holds 20-plus minutes long enough for the threes and stocks to accumulate.
Career sources: ESPN player stats · StatMuse 2025-26 season averages · Wikipedia · Maine Celtics 2025-26 by the numbers · Hoops Rumors re-signing report
Open questions
- Does Boston treat Harper as the first point-of-attack reserve when White or George sits?
- Can his G League block rate survive against NBA size?
- Is the third year fully guaranteed, and how secure is the role beyond 2026-27?