Indiana Basketball 2025-26 Scouting Reports: Reed Bailey

In the coming days and weeks leading up to Indiana's Nov. 5 regular-season opener at Bloomington’s Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Indiana on SI will share a scouting report for each Hoosier player listed on the team's official roster. Today, in the third of 17, we take a look at forward Reed Bailey.

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Reed Bailey, 6-foot-11 forward scouting report

Where Reed Bailey is from

Bailey played his high school ball in Massachusetts at the prestigious Brewster Academy – which has churned out notable NBA talent (Donovan Mitchell and Matas Buzelis, to name a few).

A three-star recruit out of high school (Class of 2022), Bailey went to Davidson, and spent his first three collegiate seasons as a Wildcat.

What he’s done

A career-long starter, Bailey entered Davidson as a freshman, and earned the starting gig immediately. Still, he played just 22.7 minutes per game in his first year, scoring 5.5 points and adding 2.8 rebounds.

As a sophomore, his production jumped (12.7 points and 5.8 rebounds), but his efficiency dropped (shot 42.4 percent). By his junior season, Bailey found the perfect balance, shooting a solid 47.7 percent from the field, while churning out 18.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists en route to Atlantic-10 Most Improved Player honors.

His game

At 6-foot-11, Bailey moves incredibly well – although he isn’t exactly a game-changing athlete. A former guard in high school, Bailey has a unique package that can’t be taught to a big man. He’s exceptionally fluid and has great length, allowing him to get downhill at an excellent clip – and when he does get cut off, few are better at dribbling into a post up.

Reed Bailey with an and one #iubb pic.twitter.com/nthH2f1udI
— Mike Schumann @ The Daily Hoosier (@daily_hoosier) August 9, 2025

Strictly watching Bailey around the basket, you’d have no idea if he’s right or left handed. He’s equally comfortable going in either direction and he loves a baby-hook with both hands, while his other go-to move is a drop-step, going – yep, you guessed it – in either direction.

In general, he has tremendous touch in the paint, as he’s a skilled finisher off the glass, and even on short bunnies when he has no angle off the backboard. Although he prefers to do much of his work around the rack off two feet – which helps him seek out contact at a high rate (6.9 free-throw attempts per game last year) – Bailey has also displayed next-level body control going off one foot.

As a passer, Bailey has taken a massive step in the right direction, with his assist numbers jumping from 1.4 in his sophomore season to 3.8 as a junior. (Worth noting, his turnovers also climbed from 1.6 to 2.7.)

But whether he’s in the midpost, on the perimeter, or with his back to the basket, Bailey’s eyes are always up, and he tends to be quite accurate, connecting with backcutters and divers from the wing.

Aleksa Ristic and Reed Bailey with a give-and-go.

Ristic and-one. #iubb pic.twitter.com/ihwBUB1gyk
— Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) August 7, 2025

An all-around high-IQ player, Bailey is a skilled cutter himself, and is especially adept at slipping screens, before usually finishing off those plays with emphatic jams.

Conor Enright and Reed Bailey with a well-executed pick & roll. Easy lay for Bailey. #iubb pic.twitter.com/WJ6dWFkDyD
— Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) August 11, 2025

As a shooter, he was impressively efficient (41.5 percent from deep) last year on low volume (just 1.2 attempts per game), although he is just a 30.8 percent career shooter from long range. But his sound mechanics and solid free-throw percentage (76.9 percent on his career) are both encouraging signs.

Offensively, Bailey is a well-rounded, multi-skilled player, but his defensive impact doesn’t quite match his output on the other end. Despite his size, length and solid athleticism, Bailey is yet to surpass 0.8 blocks per game and the advanced numbers don’t tell any better of a story, as his defensive box plus/minus has never been better than 0.1.

What they’re saying

“Just me wanting to try and play at the highest level possible,” began Bailey on his decision to transfer to Indiana, during an interview with The Field of 68. “Trying to also expand my game and become the best player I can possibly be, because I want to be able to play professional basketball in the future.”

What we expect

A surefire starter for the Hoosiers, Bailey figures to slot into the frontcourt at the five spot. His combination of scoring, playmaking and ability to stretch the floor will allow head coach Darian DeVries to put Bailey in a handful of different sets, and even, at times, run the offense through him.

Bailey’s development as a defender will be the key determinant in his ceiling – and perhaps the Hoosiers’. At the very least, his versatile offensive impact will ensure he adds value, and will keep him on the floor.