2025 NBA Draft: Ace Bailey Is Built For The NBA

Ace Bailey is a potential number one pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The Rutgers freshman has the talent, physical tools and potential to be a star in the NBA.

Rok Baller/Special to The News-Press / USA TODAY NETWORK

The consensus of scouts and NBA decision-makers believe Cooper Flagg is the top prospect in this year’s draft, but don’t sleep on the freshman playing for Rutgers. Ace Bailey has the goods and at 6-foot-9 he has the potential to be the best player out of this draft class.

Let’s take a dive into why Bailey is so highly touted and regarded as one of the top prospects out of the last two draft classes.

Bailey has great physical and athletic tools. He boasts a 7-foot wingspan as a small forward which is great positional length. He’s extremely fluid, athletic and explosive. The elite athleticism combined with his great positional size puts him in the conversation as the best overall athlete in the draft next year.

The star freshman has elite shot-making ability. His elite athleticism paired with his scoring prowess is why he has a chance to be a superstar in the NBA. Bailey has clean shot mechanics and a very smooth pull-up jumper. His size and high release allow him to shoot over defenders comfortably. At times it feels like he doesn’t even notice a shot contest. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he ends up averaging nearly 20 points per game at the college level.

Bailey is a better defender than he gets credit for due to how great of a scorer he is. Often times the Paul George comparison gets thrown around way too often, but if someone was ever to come close to reaching what George is as an archetype and level of stardom, it’s Bailey. He has great defensive tools and versatility on that end where he can be a legit two-way star which is extremely valuable in the NBA. He's someone who can compete on both ends of the floor and will help his team consistently win games.

Bailey is a raw talent who does have some decision-making and shot-selection issues, but he’s still very young and hasn’t even played his first official collegiate game yet. As he gets older and continues to mature, he should naturally improve as a decision-maker and be more efficient with his scoring. Bailey has a lot of particular skills that you can’t really teach. Some scouts believe he has the highest ceiling in the draft so if he ends up putting up great numbers in college then that could be enough for him to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

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