“He’s critiquing everything” – Dylan Harper reveals behind the scenes of viral workout video with Giannis Antetokounmpo & Ace Bailey

Dylan Harper and his Rutgers teammate Ace Bailey cracked the top five selections in the 2025 NBA draft. Harper was selected second by the San Antonio Spurs, behind Cooper Flagg, while Bailey was selected fifth by the Utah Jazz.

After draft night, a video of Bailey and Harper from last year, working out with Giannis Antetokounmpo, resurfaced on the internet. Before they started playing for Rutgers, both players picked some of the Milwaukee Bucks stars’ brains.

The video showed Antetokounmpo teaching the art of picking kill spots, turnaround fadeaway jumpers, and other skills to the Rutgers duo.

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According to Dylan Harper, working out with the NBA champion changed how he thought about the game. On the "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast released on Thursday, Harper opened up about the biggest thing he learned about Giannis after the workout.

"After that workout it kind of like switched my brain me Ace's brain," Harper said. "We talked about it after like we doing like ball handling, start the workout you can see like how intentional he is. Like he might not be going the fastest but like he's going the hardest in the gym like he in a full out sweat we five minutes in doing the warm-up so just how he really like pays attention to detail.

"We was doing this fadeaway drill you got to fade away to the to the baseline. He's like critiquing everything because like he's like you can't be perfect but you could get close to perfect so I mean just trying to strive for things like that. So just to see his mindset and how he just approached the workout was probably the best part about it." [Timestamp 17:47]

In their freshman season, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey led Rutgers in almost all major categories. Harper led the team in points, assists and steals, while Bailey led his team in rebounds and blocks.

Despite having top-five draft picks on the roster, Rutgers did not play in the NCAA Tournament.

Dylan Harper sends big message to Spurs fans after NBA draft

Dylan Harper continued the NBA legacy in his family, following his father, five-time NBA champion Ron Harper's, footsteps. His addition to the Spurs could be the start of another Spurs era in the future.

Right after being drafted by the Spurs, Harper sent a message to Spurs fans. He posted a selfie on his Instagram Story wearing the team hat.

"Spurs nation let's do it mannnnnn," Harper wrote in the caption.

During his lone college season, Harper averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.6 blocks in 29 games for Rutgers. Harper's game has been compared to Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham. Although he is not perceived as a great scorer, he has shown the potential to create and make tough shots.

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About the author

Nandjee Ranjan

Nandjee Ranjan is a journalist covering the NBA and WNBA at Sportskeeda whose passion for basketball dates back to his childhood when he enjoyed playing the sport in school.

Nandjee finds his heart divided between two NBA powerhouses: the LA Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. He idolizes LeBron James and his leadership, while he appreciates the Warriors' dynamic and team-oriented style of play.
Basketball, for Nandjee, isn't just a sport but a holistic approach to fitness and well-being. He's been drawn to team sports, finding fulfillment in the physical engagement basketball offers.

With years of following basketball, Nandjee contextualizes historical events and player performances. He believes in conducting thorough research before writing, only taking information from reliable sources. He doesn’t mind taking more time to write an articles, as long as it is 100% accurate for his readers’ benefit.

During his leisure hours, Nandjee finds relaxation by reading books.

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