Sixers draft profile: Ace Bailey has inspired tons of pre-draft debate originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
A scouting report on NBA draft prospect Ace Bailey:
- Position: Wing
- Height: 6-foot-7.5 (without shoes)
- Weight: 203 pounds
- College: Rutgers
Strengths
Bailey plays with a serious smoothness and self-assured nature. He has explosive bursts — out-of-nowhere blocks, emphatic slams — but largely seems to glide with an athleticism beyond combine testing numbers.
Rutgers’ listing of Bailey’s height at 6-10 was a bit generous. Still, he’s got good size for an NBA wing, including a wingspan just over 7 feet. It also helps that Bailey has a high release on his jump shot and can fire it very quickly.
Shotmaking is the most attractive aspect of Bailey’s game. He scores plenty of tightly guarded buckets — catch-and-shoot jumpers, pull-ups, leaners, post-up fadeaways. As a freshman in the Big Ten, Bailey averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and one steal per game.
He believes he can make anything and that he’ll be great in the NBA. Asked about players he’s modeled his game after at the combine, Bailey told reporters, “(Kevin Durant), Paul George, Jayson Tatum and (Tracy McGrady). I can see some (Carmelo Anthony) in me, too. We create shots, we can shoot over defenders, create our own space.”
Bailey’s defensive tools are eye-catching. It’s not hard to imagine his positional versatility and weak-side shot blocking being significant assets at the next level. Given Bailey’s youth (18 years old) and the muscle he’s likely to gain over the next few years, the notion that he’s due for major development on both ends is reasonable.
Weaknesses
On a 15-17 Rutgers team, Bailey’s decision-making wasn’t stellar. He dished out just 38 assists over his 30 games and committed 61 turnovers.
If Bailey continues to lean on shooting in the NBA, it’s fair to have questions about why his basic numbers were unimpressive. He shot 46 percent from the floor, 34.6 percent from three-point range and 69.2 percent at the foul line. Shot selection is relevant here, and Bailey was much better on free throws in the second half of the season — 46 of his final 56, 82.1 percent — but he doesn’t have the sharpshooting résumé of prospects like Tre Johnson and Kon Knueppel.
Bailey’s lack of physical strength may be limiting early in his NBA career, especially when it comes to reaching the paint and scoring there. If that’s the case, he’ll need to be an elite jump shooter in order to score efficiently.
Separate from Bailey’s skills, his handling of the pre-draft process has drawn headlines. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported, “The feedback from his interviews at the draft combine in Chicago was not all that positive, with some teams expressing concern about his lack of preparation and focus.” Bailey canceled a scheduled workout with the Sixers and has not yet visited any teams, ESPN reported.
Fit
The Sixers may wind up with a guard-heavy core of the future that features Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain and Quentin Grimes. Bailey certainly would not be redundant.
For any team, the optimistic vision of what Bailey could be is appealing. No one would mind a two-way wing who drains tons of tough shots.
Of course, it’s possible to think Bailey could become a fantastic NBA player and still feel someone else like VJ Edgecombe is a better overall prospect. There’s clearly no consensus.
George is a noted admirer of Bailey.
“I think he has big-time potential,” George said on his podcast. “He has big-time talent. He can score from any spot on the floor. He has an isolation game, which you don’t see that often in kids that size that early. He can make plays, he can shoot over the top of defenses, he can take advantage of mismatches, he can handle the ball in pick-and-rolls. He can catch and shoot. He can defend.
“I’ve seen him play elite defense on chase-down blocks … running guys off threes, keeping guys in front of him. I think he just has tremendous talent across the board. … I love his upside, man. I’ve been a fan of his game for a little while now and I think he’s going to be huge in the league. People think it might take him a minute, based on his skill set, but I think he’s going to come into the league and make noise right away.”
