The 2025 NBA Draft is set for Wednesday night, which means there’s plenty of talented prospects that will be finding new homes. One of the top NBA Draft prospects to highlight is Ace Bailey.
Bailey was one of the best freshmen in college basketball last season, and now Bailey could be a top-five pick in Wednesday's NBA Draft. He has the measurables and shooting ability to potentially be a great talent at the NBA level.
We will break down everything you need to know about Ace Bailey in his 2025 NBA Draft profile, including his draft pick projection, stats, combine performance, strengths, and more
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Ace Bailey College Stats
Bailey only played one season of college basketball at Rutgers. Here are his stat averages
- 17.6 Points
- 7.2 Rebounds
- 1.3 Assists
- 1.0 Steals
- 1.3 Blocks
- 30 Games Played
- 33.3 Minutes Played Per Game
- 46% Field Goal Percentage
- 34% 3-Point Percentage
In his one-and-done season at Rutgers, Bailey put up impressive numbers, as the 18-year-old showcased why he’s one of the top prospects in this year’s NBA Draft
Ace Bailey Combine Results
Bailey’s measurables and on-court performances during the combine.
- Height: 6 feet, 7 1/2 inches (without shoes)
- Weight: 202 pounds
- Wingspan: 7 feet, ½ inches
- Standing Reach: 8 feet, 11 inches
- Max Vertical Leap: 34.5 inches
- Lane Agility Time: 10.97 seconds
- Shuttle Run: 2.78 seconds
Ace Bailey Game To Watch
Bailey had 37 points against Northwestern, while also impacting the game on the defensive end.
January 29, 2025 – Rutgers vs. Northwestern
In a game on the road against Northwestern, Bailey dropped 37 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks to lead the Scarlet Knights to victory. Bailey shot 13-of-20 from the field and 5-of-8 from 3-point range.
What’s even more impressive about Bailey’s performance on the offensive end in that game is he only needed 10 dribbles to get to 37 points, which indicates he can score off the ball in catch-and-shoot settings and doesn’t need to exert much energy to get a bucket. The 3 blocks also shows the defensive promise Bailey can have on the NBA level, as he has the measurables to be at the very least an average defender.
Ace Bailey Achievements
- 2025 third-team All-Big Ten
- 2025 Ben Ten All-Freshmen Team
- 2024 McDonalds All-American
- 2024 Mr. Georgia Basketball
Ace Bailey Scouting Report
Here are the strengths and weaknesses of Ace Bailey ahead of the NBA Draft, in his full scouting report below.
Strengths
- Can shoot the ball from anywhere on the court. Doesn’t need to dribble the air out of the basketball to get a shot up.
- A good cutter who uses his size to his advantage. Can be an off-the ball threat when finding open driving lanes to attack the basket.
- Also good playing off the ball as a shooting threat. Great at finding just enough space to get a shot off.
- Has defensive upside at the NBA level. With his height and wingspan, he’ll be able to defend both guards and forwards.
- A good rebounder for his position.
Weaknesses
- He will need to become a better decision-maker with the basketball in his hands.
- Tends to force some shots against a double team instead of making an extra pass.
- Has to get better at attacking the basket when he’s the ball handler. He doesn’t look to take much contact when driving to the basket, and rather take a more difficult pull-up jumper.
- His handle and speed will have to improve when it comes to blowing by his defenders
- Needs to put on more weight in order to both defender bigger forwards, but will also help him when attacking the basket.
Ace Bailey NBA Comparison: Michael Porter Jr.
Bailey is a terrific shooter who can pull up from anywhere, and has the size to shoot it over a majority of defenders. He doesn’t need a high usage of the basketball in his hands in order to be impactful since he showed at the college level he can also score off the ball as both a shooter and a cutter.
A player that comes to mind when finding a comparison for Bailey is Michael Porter Jr. Porter Jr. was selected as the 14th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, as was a key contributor for the Nuggets winning the NBA title in 2023.
Coming out of college, it was expected that Porter Jr. would be an even better player than what he has shown so far, but he’s still among one of the best shooters and off-ball threats in the league.
Being the third option on offense behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, Porter Jr. still managed to average 18.2 points per game, while shooting 50% from the field and close to 40% from 3-point range. One can make the case if Porter Jr. had an increased role with Denver or any other team, he would get All-Star consideration.
If Bailey can become even close to what Michael Porter Jr. is now, he’ll be a great piece for whoever drafts him.
NBA Draft Projection: Where Will Bailey Be Selected?
This is where things are a bit weird here for Bailey. He has not worked out with a single NBA team, which can be seen as a negative from NBA teams, whether declining those workouts is from Bailey or his team around him in this draft process.
But that shouldn’t stop Bailey from being a lottery pick, likely even top 10. The talent is too good to pass up, especially for his position as a wing. When looking at mock drafts from across the board, Bailey is mostly seen getting selected with the sixth overall pick by the Washington Wizards.
The Wizards are in the rebuild process, and Bailey would get his opportunities with a team that has to start from scratch.
Other teams that may be a good fit for Bailey include the Jazz, Nets, and Raptors.
