For at least a year, the consensus no.1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft has been Cooper Flagg, however, a former NBA All-Star does not think the Duke forward should be the first player to have his name called on draft night.
DeMarcus Cousins believes that Rutgers guard Ace Bailey is the true no.1 pick. The four-time NBA All-Star said this on FanDuel’s “Run it Back” show :
To me, Ace Bailey is the no.1 pick. I think Ace Bailey’s the no.1 pick. I think he is the closest thing we have seen to a Tracy McGrady.”
That is quite a compliment as Tracy McGrady was a 7-time NBA All-Star who as Kobe Bryant said, “can do everything that I can do, but he’s 6-10”.
McGrady was taken ninth overall in the 1997 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors McGrady was already a 7-time All-NBA performer and 7xAll-Star and before injuries truncated what was already a Hall of Fame career. His game was so smooth that he made scoring look effortless, to which the two scoring titles he captured in 2003 and 2004 are a testament.
If the T-Mac comparisons from Cousins seem like an overreach, the former NBA standout is not the only one of note in the basketball world who’s quite high on Bailey.
ESPN’s Seth Greenberg has compared Bailey to Kevin Durant saying :
“Ace Bailey, to me, and I’m not saying he is, but he’s got a little Kevin Durant in his game,” Greenberg said. “He does—his release point, how he creates separation, how he moves around the court, his feel. He’s special.”
Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor compares the 6-10 wing to Micheal Porter Jr and Rudy Gay, summarizing Bailey in part
“Bailey is a ridiculous shot-making machine, capable of splashing contested jumpers from every spot on the floor with the swagger of a throwback bucket-getter.”
An anonymous Eastern Conference executive speaking to Cyro Asseo de Choch of hoopshype.com offered this assessment of Bailey :
“MPJ-style bucket getter that’s less polished with more bounce.”
Bailey appeared in 30 games this season for the Scarlet Knights, putting up per-game averages of 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals.
