“Aura”; “Slowly becoming my favorite prospect”: College hoops fans impressed as Ace Bailey gives confident answer about his strengths and weaknesses
Ace Bailey might be a polarizing prospect for some NBA scouts, but fans seem to be enjoying what the Rutgers guard has shown while preparing for next month's NBA draft.
ESN draft expert Jonathan Givony posted a video Friday on X/Twitterr in which Bailey gives an honest assessment of his own game when asked about his strengths and weaknesses.
"Ain't got no weaknesses and I got more than two strengths big dog," Bailey said.
Some fans loved the guard's confidence:
"Aura," one fan said.
"ace is slowly becoming my favorite prospect from this class," another fan wrote.
"big on Ace after this," another fan responded.
Other fans weren't as confident of Ace Bailey's skills or what could seem like excessive confidence in an interview. Some wondered if that could hurt his draft stock next month
"If he really thinks he has no weaknesses his stock tanks plenty," a fan said.
"This might tank his draft stock, bro basically said “i don’t got nothing to work on, im already the perfect player,” another fan wrote.
"Will see. Looks no different than cam Reddish to me until proven otherwise," one fan added.
Ace Bailey averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in his only season at Piscataway. He also had 1.3 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.
However, Bailey's efforts couldn't help the Scarlet Knights finish with a winning record, as they finished the season 15-17 and lost i. the first round of the Big Ten Conference Tournament.
Ace Bailey considered "more of a project" by executives, per report
According to The Athletic, Rutgers guard Ace Bailey is considered "more of a project" than Baylor's TJ Edgecombe by NBA personnel evaluators.
The 6-foot-10, 200-pound guard is considered one of the top prospects in the Draft. While most analysts believe Duke's Cooper Flagg and Bailey's former teammate, Dylan Harper, will be the first names coming off the board, there are questions about who the Philadelphia 76ers will select at No. 3.
The wing came out of high school as a 5-star prospect and the second-best player in the class of 2024, according to 247 Sports.
The Rutgers product is a polarizing figure ahead of the draft. A solid mid-range shooter, Bailey is believed by some to have the potential to become a new version of Kevin Durant.
However, he measured in at 6-foot-7.5 at the combine, more than two inches shorter than his official measurement. And while not entirely on him, Rutgers' lack of team success could also come into question.