Boston Celtics guard Ron Harper Jr. fought his way on to the Green Team, earning a training camp contract in August and a two-way deal just ahead of the 2025-26 regular season in early October. And while the 25-year-old had previously played just 11 games in the NBA, he’s made a name for himself in Boston and captured a standard contract in the process, as NBA insider Shams Charania announced on Saturday that Harper Jr. reached a two-year agreement with the Celtics.<\/p>\n
This season, the New Jersey native has entered 26 games and even started in 2. He’s averaging 3.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per outing\u2014but stats don’t tell the whole story. Harper Jr. has been a solid option off the bench for the Celtics, providing timely shooting every now and then and always playing with effort, especially on the defensive end.<\/p>\n
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His work ethic is apparent and it made this contract news inevitable rather than surprising. Harper Jr.’s current teammates\u2014including Max Shulga, Neemias Queta, Amari Williams, and Baylor Scheierman\u2014all celebrated his first real NBA deal on social media. Plus, even ex-Celtics wing Josh Minott was happy to see his former teammate make Boston’s playoff roster:<\/p>\n
It seems like fate that the next game for the Celtics is against the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors kicked off Harper Jr.’s professional career with a two-way deal in 2022, yet they never offered him a standard contract. That allowed Harper Jr. to get scooped up by Boston’s G League affiliate (the Maine Celtics) in 2024, previewing his eventual, more official return to the C’s a year later.<\/p>\n
Things will come full circle on Sunday afternoon at TD Garden when Harper Jr. and company look to sweep the season series with the Raptors.<\/p>\n
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