Potential Washington Wizard Ace Bailey Scouting Breakdown | 2025 NBA Draft
i I don’t think he’s probably going to be there at at six on draft night uh but Ace Bailey is somebody that uh you know I I throughout the year was like a little nitpicky on because it was this oh he should be up there with flag Dylan Harper thing at the start of the year which I didn’t see but I’d love him at six just because the physical profile and uh some of the skills but uh I I would imagine he did not grade out particularly well because of some of the limitations and inefficiencies in his game here overall kevin so what did you see with Rucker’s freshman uh Ace Bailey so what shows up in the numbers is one he was very inefficient on offense tying on 104 offensive rating 51% two-point percentage which is pretty low for a for a forward um you know which uh he’s basically a 6’7 and a half two guard like I I think that’s really what you’re expecting more wing and I would say I don’t have him too far down yeah I’ve got him in as a wing so I don’t have it too far down that’s about where he But it’s still his shooting a little on the low side there his three-point percentage was fine his free throw percentage a little low but you know that’s the kind of thing guys often improve you know 69% free throw shooter that’s not a bad free throw shooter and when he gets to NBA coaching they’ll they’ll get that up you know 77% or something and it’ll be fine um I I like his rebounding you know 8.6 per 40 that’s pretty solid um no playmaking whatsoever and um you know he did block some shots doesn’t get many steals no no turnovers to speak of more turnovers than assists but that’s mainly because he didn’t do any playmaking at all just 1.5 assists per 40 that’s pretty close to the lowest in the draft um yeah basically every possession is I’m gonna take one or two dribbles and shoot from 17 feet and I’m gonna make more of them because everyone knows I’m going to do it than most normal people would do u but you’d just like to see a guy that is a pretty solid athlete be able to use those things yeah and the numbers I mean I will say he looks reasonably talented um it’s you know that that efficiency being as low as it is is would be a a concern sure you know yeah you’re just banking on a couple things coming together like he he didn’t play as athletic as he looks like he should be uh so you’re hopeful that he can figure some of those things out one of the things I really come around on and I I wanted to talk to you about this too Kevin is just I feel like ball handling is a thing that really is a like a separator for the absolute top guys like who’s an elite player in the NBA that’s not an above average ball handler for their position like it it just it doesn’t happen a whole lot like I mean there are some guys that are a little limited but like you saw Jaylen Brown as a guy you mentioned earlier like he took a big jump as a player when the handle got a lot tighter and and that’s the thing I worry about with Bailey is just he’s got a pretty good first step especially with guys his size guarding him but I feel like the handle holds him back from able to be in just actually take advantage of that a lot of times and then he settles so like that’s why I like a guy like Fears like the ball is on a string and he’s going to be able to get into space and and capitalize on more of those things so that’s when I worry about a guy at that size being able to develop because there’s just not a long list of like these wings that went from like underwhelming ball handlers for their you know position or role essentially to like higherend ones but I don’t know how you would evaluate something like that pre-draft is like how good someone’s a handle is or not yeah I think that’s probably more of you watch it and you see the functional dribble um in the numbers I would say that the indicators for that would be things like you know the turnovers and I would probably I would have to go a little deeper into the numbers to see because you’d be looking at are they there’s a difference between like bad pass turnovers and ball handling turnovers you know is he is he trying to make plays and the ball’s just going out of bounds or is it more did he dribbling the ball off his foot so yeah it’s uh it’s one of those things where you just there’s enough there when you see it though and some of the things when he does them you’re just eyes kind of pop out of your head like there aren’t a whole lot of people that make some of the tough shots that he makes and you just feel like if if some of the easier stuff ever comes around with him he’s a guy that if he’s there at six I think you just take it uh and and you don’t really you know you you’re willing to roll the dice with that I think if you’re the Wizards and um it seems to fit a decent amount of things they look like you know look at positional size and and things like that too so yeah no I I hear you with that and I think that makes a lot of sense just take him as a if he’s there you take him because he’s the most talented player and then you you figure it out you coach him and you know try to man nobody thought you were going to be any good right you motivate him that way well you got to show them i think the other thing there too is just resale value with a guy that if he’s a top five consensus on everybody’s board if you get him with six and he doesn’t really work out with you there might be somebody willing to give him a second try you know later on um so I always think about those kind of things too if it doesn’t fully pan out for you who are people going to stay higher on longer than whereas if you really reach for a guy uh at six yeah the rest of the league’s kind of look at you like uh you know good luck with your project there or whatever the case may be yeah yeah i know i I wouldn’t want to pick him third i’d probably I’d be provisionally willing to pick him sixth depending on who else is there yep i’m with you with it
Ace Bailey is projected as a top–3 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, most likely landing at No. 3, but the question remains—is he worth the hype? Kevin Broom and Matt Modderno dig into the Rutgers forward’s elite shot-making, length, athleticism, and high ceiling, along with the risks that come with a player so reliant on contested jumpers. Is Bailey a future franchise cornerstone for the Wizards if he slips to No. 6, or more sizzle than substance? Get the full breakdown here.
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2 Comments
I think Ace Bailey might have the largest boom or bust potential of anyone in the top of this draft. He also shrunk three inches between college and the draft, so that's a bit concerning.
Handle is never a topic of dicussion with wings. This is selective attention at its worst. VJ has zero handle, not once can you find him using his dribble to create ahots, and he's a guard, no one talks about it.