Trevor Ruszkowski
Ever since Duke forward Cooper Flagg reclassified from the Class of 2024 to the Class of 2025, he’s been projected as the number-one overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. And, he’s been stellar this season, not really doing anything to knock him off that perch at the top.
But, five-star Rutgers freshman forward Ace Bailey is gaining steam. He’s been on an absolute tear, and some NBA teams have to start thinking about whether they’d rather have him than Cooper Flagg.
Flagg has been terrific. The Maine native is averaging 19.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game this year while shooting 48.7% from the floor. He looks like a future NBA star, as he’s a very good defender as well. But, there are questions about his raw scoring ability. He’s not a great shooter yet, though he has the ability to improve at it. But, he’s never really shown that he wants to be a half-court alpha scorer, the kind that really impact games in the playoffs. Again, he’s going to be great, but if there’s a knock against him, it’s that.
Meanwhile, Ace Bailey has shown the ability to be an alpha scorer. He’s been fantastic as of late. He’s had at least 17 points in six straight games, including three games of over 30 points. He’s done it on really efficient shooting, too.
On Wednesday, Bailey had 37 points on 13-17 shooting against Northwestern in an important Rutgers win.
ACE BAILEY HAVE YOURSELF A NIGHT SIR
▪️ 37 PTS
▪️ 13-20 FG
▪️ 5-8 3PT
▪️ 6 REB
▪️ 3 BLK pic.twitter.com/DfrxL36ARw— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) January 30, 2025
Bailey definitely projects as an alpha scorer more than Flagg does. He is shooting an impressive 39% from 3 and can score at all three levels. He might not bring as many intangibles as Flagg is, and may not be as quite of an explosive athlete. But, he’s got potential to lead the NBA in scoring one day.
Ultimately, Bailey has played himself into the conversation for the first-overall pick. It’s going to be fun to watch these two duel down the stretch.