When the Dallas Mavericks go on the clock for the first pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, Duke’s Cooper Flagg is guaranteed to get picked. The No. 2 pick isn’t decided for certain, but the early indications are that Dylan Harper will get picked up by the San Antonio Spurs. As for the Philadelphia 76ers, they are expected to strongly consider Harper’s teammate, Ace Bailey.
For Philly’s All-Star forward, Paul George, that could be an exciting situation considering the sharpshooter once praised Bailey’s game on an episode of ‘Podcast P.’
“I think he has big-time potential,” George said. “He has big-time talent.”
After it was revealed that the Sixers won the No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft Lottery, George’s podcast account made the comments resurface on social media.
via @PodcastPShow: Ace Bailey’s game has PG excited for his future 🤝 “He has big-time talent… I love his upside.”
“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 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, defending, keeping guys in front of him. I think he just has tremendous talent. If there was no Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey would’ve been an even bigger name that people would have been talking about in this draft. I love his upside.”
Since committing to Rutgers, Bailey was expected to be a one-and-done prospect in the NCAA. He appeared in 30 games, seeing the court for 33 minutes per game.
During his freshman year, Bailey averaged 18 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. He made 46 percent of his shots from the field and drained 35 percent of his threes on nearly five attempts per game.
As Bailey goes through his pre-draft process, the young prospect revealed that George is a player he studied, along with Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum.
“Paul George and Jayson Tatum, their creation for them to get their shot off is unbelievable,” Bailey told reporters. “I see myself doing the same thing. [Kevin Durant] in the mid-post with one, two dribbles, or less is straight buckets.”
The Sixers aren’t guaranteed to take Bailey. They aren’t guaranteed to keep the third pick, for that matter. If they do, the Rutgers star will likely be viewed as the best player on the board. So, while it’s not a guarantee, the chances of Bailey getting selected by the Sixers are high.
