Rutgers' Ace Bailey Receives Legendary NBA Comparison

It's a rule of thumb to avoid comparing NBA Draft prospects to former superstars, and yet, Ace Bailey recently received a comp to one of the greatest scorers in the history of the game.

Mar 9, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) slap hands with fans after the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Former Rutgers Scarlet Knight Ace Bailey is quickly becoming a household name among NBA fans. While the 2025 draft is still a month away, the discourse has already been well underway, especially with the combine wrapping up earlier this May. Bailey isn't the top prospect in this class, but he has arguably been the most discussed talent so far.

Duke's Cooper Flagg is the consensus number-one pick this year. Unless something truly shocking happens, the Dallas Mavericks will be using the first selection they landed via the lottery on Flagg without thinking twice about it. The second-best prospect has been pretty much cemented, too. That honor belongs to fellow Rutgers star Dylan Harper, who will likely be headed to the San Antonio Spurs with the second-overall pick.

After those two, though, there's been a lot of discourse over who should be the third pick, or at least seen as the third strongest prospect in the class. Rutgers' Ace Bailey had been penciled in for that spot throughout the majority of the NCAA season, but there's been a steady rise in detractors and naysayers who don't particularly love his brand of basketball.

His harshest critics believe that his tendency to settle for tough shots is a damning indictment on his game, both a product of an inability to create good shots and a refusal to share the basketball. Pundits, like Yahoo's Kevin O'Connor, say that he has the greatest potential to bust at the top of the draft. Some extra bold contrarians say that they wouldn't draft him at all.

Still, the vast majority see Bailey's smooth shot-making, elite athleticism, and tantalizing combination of size and skill, and have him as an easy third pick behind Flagg and Harper. Some even argue that he has the highest ceiling in the entire class. It's hard to argue when watching film of his 39-point masterpiece against Indiana or his 37-piece against Northwestern.

Most athletes at nearly 6'8 barefoot don't move the way Bailey does. He showed for the Scarlet Knights that he's comfortable getting his shot off at nearly any time, from nearly any spot, and against nearly any coverage. While some scouts and draft analysts might be turned off by his penchant for taking tough looks, others are enamored by his ability to make them at an above-average rate.

Former NBA superstar center DeMarcus Cousins is certainly in the latter group. On FanDuel's Run It Back show, he compared Bailey to a fellow NBA legend: Tracy McGrady. He also said that he'd go as far as to take Ace Bailey first overall instead of Cooper Flagg.

There are certainly holes in his game, but anyone getting honest comps to T-Mac should definitely be considered worthy of a top-three selection. And if he even becomes a fraction of what McGrady was in the NBA, it'll pay off massively for the Philadelphia 76ers, or whoever ends up picking third.