Rutgers' Ace Bailey facing draft scrutiny as 'people in his ear' raise doubts about NBA future
The NBA Draft is now just a day away, perfectly timed with the conclusion of the NBA Finals on Sunday night. With the draft taking place on Wednesday, the NBA Summer League is right around the corner, giving incoming rookies a chance to showcase their talents on a global stage.
As always, the draft brings surprises—including potential top picks who may slide. One of those players this year is Ace Bailey. While Bailey had some remarkable moments at Rutgers, it appears he may be mishandling the pre-draft process.
“Bailey's predraft workout strategy has perplexed some observers, as he has yet to conduct a single known workout to date, having declined invitations from several teams within his draft range. Sources say Bailey's camp has informed interested teams that they believe he is a top-3 player in the draft, but also seeks a clear pathway to stardom, perhaps feeling comfortable that a team will trade up to get him at Nos. 3 or 4, should he drop,” ESPN’s Jonathan Givony wrote.
Many general managers across the league are hesitant to take a risk on him. One source even told college basketball analyst Jeff Goodman that Bailey’s immaturity and questionable influences could derail his NBA career.
“Ace is a great kid. He’s just immature. Doesn’t take a lot of things seriously. The only thing he wants to do is play basketball. That kid genuinely loves basketball more than any person I’ve ever met. He’s just got himself surrounded by some bad characters so I’m not sure how it’s gonna play out for him. There are definitely some things he needs to get better at on the court but I think he will just because he loves the game so much. If the right person is trying to help him and he takes it in, he’ll be fine. But I could definitely see it going the opposite direction too just because of people in his ear. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out,” the source said.
There’s no doubt Bailey is playing a risky game. Skipping pre-draft workouts and surrounding himself with questionable advisors is not the impression a prospect wants to leave with NBA teams.