As the Philadelphia 76ers continue to move forward in the draft process, they will have to make sure they do the work needed to make sure they make the absolute right decision for the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
There will be plenty of options with the No. 3 selection and the Sixers will certainly take a look at all of them. Rutgers star Ace Bailey is the popular choice at No. 3 while VJ Edgecombe of Baylor and Tre Johnson of Texas will certainly stake their claims to be selected. They both can fit the Sixers and make it work despite the fact that they are guards.
A mock draft performed by Yahoo! Sports has the Sixers selecting Bailey with that No. 3 pick:
Sixers fans are already at war over Bailey. On one side of the debate, the Rutgers freshman is viewed as a ridiculous shot-making machine, capable of splashing contested jumpers from every spot on the floor and with the swagger of a throwback bucket-getter. And at his size, he fits next to Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain in the years to come. While his upside is clear, the other side of the debate rightfully wonders: Can the Sixers afford to wait on Bailey to maybe turn into something when the clock is ticking on the Joel Embiid era? And how realistically will Bailey accept a backseat role? In Chicago he was asked about his wild shot selection and said: “That might be a bad shot to you, you don’t work on it. I work on it.” The issue is he made only 36.4% of his midrange pull-ups and 24.4% of his pull-up 3s. If he’s willing to change his shot diet, then concerns about his short-term fit in Philly would be alleviated. But not entirely. Bailey’s shooting consistency, plus his raw edges as a shot creator and defender, need sanding down. So at the least, the expectation around the league is the Sixers will look around and see if there are any offers worth taking for this pick, whether it’s a trade down or out.
Bailey is a strong candidate for the No. 3 pick for Philadelphia. He averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists, but as mentioned by Yahoo! above, his shot selection is rather questionable. While he has the ability to knock down tough shots–which makes him an elite prospect in this draft–taking and making tough shots isn’t exactly a formula for success. The Sixers don’t have time to develop players at the moment as their championship window remains open.
