While it might not seem like an NBA skill to a casual fan of the sport, resiliency is a key element to any successful career in the Association, as two way Boston Celtics guard Ron Harper Jr. can attest. And to that end, Harper shared how resiliency is the one skill he has most honed over the last year as he has tried to find his own footing in the league.
Playing in the shadow of his legendary namesake and father as well as a brother who has had a more visible career as a prospect in Dylan, now with the San Antonio Spurs, the Celtics guard shared how exercising that skill has helped put him on the cusp of earning regular, meaningful NBA minutes. “It was a long, last couple years,” he explained. “I tore my labrum, (and was) out for the year.”
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“I went to Boston, I got cut out of camp,” he continued. “I went to Maine (to play in the G League with the Maine Celtics). I went to Detroit. I went back to Boston. Now I’m back here on the two-way, so, just a lot of resiliency, never putting my head down and just always looking forward to the next step.”
Feb 13, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Team Melo guard Dylan Harper (2) of the San Antonio Spurs controls the ball against Team Austin guard Ron Harper Jr. (13) of the Boston Celtics during the first half of an NBA All Star Rising Stars game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
For Harper, resiliency is a big skill for up-and-coming prospects in the league. “It’s a rough lifestyle, especially for a guy at the end of the bench, a guy on the two-way – it’s a lot of up and down.”
“It’s a lot of you go up with the G League, you’re with the main team. It’s just a lot of up and down. So you’ve just got to find a way to stay level-headed and stay present in the moment.”
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: For Ron Harper Jr., resiliency key to success with Celtics