Justin Harper is not a good player. He’s not a very good player. He’s a star.

Born in Richmond, Virginia, Justin Harper is just a small town kid that was exceptionally gifted with both his height and his basketball talent. Harper was never a prodigy on the basketball court — until his senior year on the Richmond Spiders, at least. During his last year of collegiate basketball, he averaged 17.9 points and 6.9 rebounds, with a whopping 53 field goal percentage. Harper asserted his dominance on the court as a stealthy, versatile power forward, and eventually, by the end of his senior year, he was granted the First-team All Atlantic 10 award.

However, at the end of his college basketball career, Harper fell short of the first round. Selected 32nd overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, he was consequently traded on draft night to the Orlando Magic. Unfortunately, the NBA lockout would hinder his performance in the 2011 season, forcing him to play overseas temporarily with SIG Strasbourg in France. During his rookie season, he played only 14 games with the Magic, starting zero games and averaging a mere 6 minutes per game. Afterwards, he was demoted to the D-League, where he played for the Idaho Stampede, and a season later, he began playing with Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel. In the 2014-2015 season, he would take his talents to Italy and compete with Sidigas Avellino. A pattern manifests itself in Harper’s career — he had played for a different team for each of his first five seasons. Was he ever going to make it back to the NBA?

Oct 18, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets power forward Justin Harper (35) drives to the basket with Philadelphia 76ers power forward Richaun Holmes (22) defending during the 4th qtr at Barclays Center. The Nets won 92-91. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

During the summer of 2015, Justin Harper was given the opportunity to play with the Phoenix Suns in the Las Vegas Summer League, where he averaged 8.0 PPG and 4.6 RPG. Harper, once considered a second-round bust, now had the opportunity for an open door to an NBA team. On September 18th of 2015, after Yanick Moreira’s foot injury, the Brooklyn Nets introduced a new power-foward in Justin Harper.

Here at 6’10 and you think alright well he’s got to be a post player. Not this kid. He shoots high 40’s from 3, shoots 54 from the field, great athlete.

Justin Harper was regarded as one of the most imminent threats at the 4 position back in 2011, and he currently has the perfect opportunity to prove himself with the Brooklyn Nets. Harper, with his sharpshooting ability from behind the arc, has the potential to become one of the greatest NBA big-men ever to play the game. No fan should doubt him. We saw what happened last year with the Miami Heat — out of nowhere, Hassan Whiteside blossomed into a high-caliber, starting center after being drafted 33rd overall in the second round of the 2010 draft. Harper, like Whiteside, needs to unleash his inner talent and demonstrate his basketball IQ on the court.

He was already bound to be a star. All he needs to do now is believe in himself.