For around a year now, Ace Bailey has been noted as one of the top prospects of the 2025 NBA Draft class. On Wednesday, he officially declared for the NBA Draft, with ESPN's Shams Charania the first to break the news.
Bailey has been one of this draft class's top three players, mentioned in the same breath as Duke's Cooper Flagg and Rutgers teammate Dylan Harper. With all three players now officially declaring for the draft, the focus now turns to their potential in the NBA, and what execs think of them. The Sporting News' most recent mock draft currently projects Bailey as the fifth overall pick.
Bailey, who stands at 6-foot-10 but is listed as a guard, is a unicorn of sorts, which is one of the biggest reasons for the hype surrounding his pro potential.
"Bailey, 18, isn't a dynamic ball handler and struggles with efficiency, making a subpar 51.2% of all twos and 69.2% from the free throw line despite shooting 35.4% from distance," ESPN's Jonathan Givony said. "His other numbers are more convincing: Per Synergy, he has converted 62.1% of shots at the rim and made 48% of his midrange attempts outside of 17 feet this season (83rd percentile nationally)."
At 6'10, Ace Bailey boasts exceptional shot-making prowess. He is one of the youngest prospects in this draft, not turning 19 until August, and brings insatiable aggressiveness and high-level intensity defensively to complement his outstanding scoring instincts. https://t.co/3disvqg3aA pic.twitter.com/GGIfARjffF
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 23, 2025
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Bailey has been viewed as a more raw talent than Flagg and Harper, but his ability to knock down the midrange shot, speed at his size, and scoring have kept him towards the top of several mock drafts.
"He might have the highest ceiling in the draft," one Eastern Conference executive told Givony. "I know [he's] inconsistent and there are question marks with the playmaking -- the shotmaking and creation could be elite. He checks those boxes if he hits the level he could be capable of."
Bailey's size and shot making ability may have been considered unique a few years ago, but in the modern age has been more commonplace.
"His combination of shotmaking and athleticism brought to mind former All-NBA selections Tracy McGrady and Carmelo Anthony, pointing to his best-case scenario as a prolific high-usage scorer if everything were to break correctly," Givony said.
Givony also brought up current NBA stars Brandon Miller, Brandon Ingram, and Michael Porter Jr. when bringing up pro comparisons for the budding star.
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