The 2025 NBA Draft is less than four months away and has a chance to be a special one at the top. Cooper Flagg, who I called the “Menace From Maine,” headlines the class as the presumptive favorite to go No.1 overall in the class as things currently stand. However, a player with a chance to challenge Flagg for that top spot is a 6-foot-9 athletic freak of nature who’s also a skilled scorer: Ace Bailey, a player with a unique set of skills that make him a standout in this draft.
Bailey is a 6’9, 195 lb forward from Powder Springs, Georgia, currently starring as a Rutgers freshman alongside another fellow freshman star, Dylan Harper. Bailey is a nuclear athlete you see in the NBA today, a la Anthony Edwards or Ja Morant, but five inches taller. He can handle a rock like a guard and a smooth jumper that reminds you of Tracy McGrady or Paul George.
Bailey had quite the senior season for McEachern last year, leading the Indians to a 26-6 record and the Class AAAAAAA state championship game. That was followed by being named the 2023-24 Georgia MaxPreps High School Player of the Year and Gatorade Player of the Year.
Ace Bailey could be the NBA's next great scoring wing
Bailey averaged 33.4 points, 15.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.1 blocks per contest against a schedule that included nine nationally-ranked opponents. Bailey has an innate ability as a hybrid scorer who can create off the bounce for a pull-up jumper or take it to the rack for a powerful finish through traffic. He has shown that same tantalizing talent at the collegiate level.
Bailey has been impressive for Rutgers this season. As of March 11, he ranks second on his team in scoring (17.2), suitable for sixth among first-year students in the country on 45% from the field and 34% from three. Add in 7.2 rebounds per game, 1.3 blocks, and a steal per game, and you have a raw but talented potential two-way force once he refines his game, a player who could bring a new level of versatility to the NBA.
The Scarlet Knights may not have the team success they hoped for entering the season, but Bailey has been tremendous individually. He matched the Rutgers freshman scoring record set by Corey Sanders in 2016, scoring 39 points in an 84-74 loss to Indiana. It was the most ever by a Rutgers freshman in a regulation game.
If you took his entire stat line of points, rebounds, and blocks of 39-8-4, becoming just the second freshman (Andrew Wiggins, 2014) to record such a stat line since 2005. He has three games of 30+ points, shooting 50% or better from the field, joining his teammate Harper as the only two Rutgers freshmen to do just that. But it doesn’t stop there for Bailey.
According to StatHead, Bailey is one of five freshmen players (Anthony, Durant, Banchero, Flagg) since 1980-81 who are 6’8" or taller, averaging 17+ points per game, shooting 45% from the field, and making at least 40 threes.
Kevin Durant with the Texas Longhorns in 2006-07 and Carmelo Anthony of Syracuse in 2002-03, who led his team to a national championship, are the only ones to average over 20 points per game. Special company.
Ace Bailey is a unique combination of size and talent.
Players with Bailey’s unique size and skill don’t come around often. He must continue getting stronger and improving his handle as he progresses to the NBA level. He can sometimes be sloppy with the ball, bumping him off his spot when posting or driving through traffic.
He plays with a passionate fire that you can’t teach. You either have it or you don’t, and Bailey has shown he has it offensively and defensively. He also possesses excellent defensive capabilities with great length and utilizes them to block 1.3 shots per game and be an active weakside help defender, showing that he's not just a scorer, but a complete player.
While Cooper Flagg is undoubtedly a great prospect, the team that secures Bailey will be gaining a unique asset. Bailey is a super-sized scoring wing, whose raw talent is unmistakable. His potential to become an elite defender only adds to his value in the NBA. Get ready, NBA.