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Potential Sixers Pick Officially Declares for 2025 NBA Draft

Rutgers basketball star Ace Bailey is officially entering the NBA Draft.
Justin Grasso|
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
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

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The 2025 NBA Draft is approaching, and players are making their availability known as the early entry deadline nears. On Wednesday, another projected top-five pick made it clear he’ll leave the NCAA for the NBA in June, as Rutgers basketball star Ace Bailey declared for the draft.

via @ShamsCharania: Rutgers star freshman Ace Bailey has declared for the 2025 NBA draft, Bailey tells ESPN. Bailey is the No. 3 prospect in ESPN's NBA draft projections.

Bailey, an 18-year-old guard born in Tennessee, was a five-star recruit just one year ago. Coming out of Georgia, where he attended high school, Bailey was regarded as a top-two recruit in the nation by all major recruiting platforms. He joined another five-star recruit, Dylan Harper, in taking his talents to Rutgers.

During the 2024-2025 NCAA season, Bailey appeared in 30 games for Rutgers. Seeing the court for an average of 33 minutes per game, Bailey made 46 percent of his shots from the field and knocked down 35 percent of his threes.

Bailey averaged 18 points per game, along with seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal.

Most mock draft projections have Bailey falling no further than three. With Duke’s Cooper Flagg widely projected to become the No. 1 overall pick, the second and third slots have been a toss-up between Bailey and Harper. Currently, the Sixers are in the fifth spot, which could change depending on how the lottery plays out.

After finishing the 2024-2025 NBA season at 24-58, the Sixers have a 42 percent chance at a top-four pick. Their chances of landing the No. 1 pick are set at 10.5 percent, according to Tankathon.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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