NBA Draft: Rutgers' Ace Bailey Has Polarizing Pros and Cons

As one of the top freshmen draft prospects, Ace Bailey is an extremely interesting name to monitor due to his glaring strengths and weaknesses.

Nov 20, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) shoots the ball during the second half against the Merrimack Warriors at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

With this year’s draft class loaded with intriguing talent, there may be no more polarizing prospect than Rutgers' Ace Bailey. The 6-foot-10 wing has seemingly solidified his place among the top-three prospects even before this season began. While he has shown clear flashes of his incredibly high upside, there are two sides to every story, and he has also exhibited some glaring concerns. Nearly everyone would agree that the strengths of his game should not be overlooked, but continuing to improve on the weaker aspects of his play could very well make him a lock to be brought into an NBA team as a key piece of its young core.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of Ace Bailey’s game so far this year.

Up to this point in the season, Bailey has been very productive, averaging 17.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks. He has been effective as a freshman while teaming up with another top-tier prospect, Dylan Harper, who has helped relieve Bailey of defensive focus. Even if the way he gets his points doesn't always look pretty, his effectiveness has been evident.

Starting with his strengths, Bailey has a very unique skill set for a player of his size. He has a soft touch on jumpers and regularly looks unaffected by late closeouts. His ability to finish around the rim with patience, as well as elevate for big dunks, can be effective at any level—even if it isn’t quite as tantalizing as his shooting. Bailey is also a very effective rebounder, despite not having much strength. He still battles on the interior, but he gathers the majority of his boards by using his length and reactivity to make quicker decisions in positioning that his opponents struggle to keep up with.

The long-term potential he has is undeniable, and while this doesn't necessarily guarantee that he will reach his ceiling, most teams early in the draft would love to develop a player like him. As a very smooth mover both on and off the ball, Bailey has the tools to generate easier looks for himself, though he needs to continue making quicker, more efficient decisions.

While his strengths seem significant, his weaknesses may be just as glaring. As mentioned earlier, his ability to hit jumpers regardless of the defense has been impressive, but the tough shots he often settles for are too common. This is a typical concern for tall shot-makers early in their careers, and it may be the biggest issue so far. The concern isn’t that he can't make these shots, but that with his size advantage, he should be getting easier looks on the interior.

Another weakness that is hard to overlook is his lack of passing feel. It's clear that he's been asked to focus primarily on scoring, but he has shown virtually no ability to set up teammates. At the NBA level, he will need to improve this aspect of his game, as professional defenders would love to force him into settling for jump shots. In addition to improving his playmaking, he will also need to expand his ball-handling skills. We've seen flashes of his ability to create opportunities for himself, but protecting the ball is a concern, as he can be too loose with it at times.

Every prospect has both strengths and weaknesses, but Bailey’s are so pronounced that they've created a loud discourse surrounding him this year. There's still plenty of time for Bailey to work on his game ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft, so time will tell just how much these areas of concern will affect how high he can be selected.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

---