The Big Lead

Top 2025 NBA Draft prospect could fall in draft after growing worries from NBA teams

A Rutgers star may see his draft stock fall though after not taking any individual workouts with NBA teams.

By Matt Reed

Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard and NBA Draft prospect Ace Bailey shoots the ball against USC Trojans guard Kevin Patton Jr.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard and NBA Draft prospect Ace Bailey shoots the ball against USC Trojans guard Kevin Patton Jr. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
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The 2025 NBA Draft is about to happen in just a few weeks, but one of the biggest prospects preparing to be selected in the first few picks might have a more uncertain future because of how he's been treating the pre-draft process.

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According to a report from NBA Draft expert Jonathan Givony, Rutgers Scarlet Knights star freshman Ace Bailey "has been falling due to his unwillingness to visit several teams" and failing to "conduct a single workout."

While Bailey has been a consensus top-five pick in many NBA mock drafts and his talent is certainly inevitable, there's been rising questions about the former Rutgers shooter's quest for stardom without meeting NBA teams.

“Bailey's pre-draft 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," Givony wrote in a recent ESPN article. "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.”

Bailey and his Rutgers teammate Dylan Harper both have the hopes being taken inside the first three picks after Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, but at this stage, Harper seems like a more likely player to be chosen early based on his family's NBA pedigree and workouts.

In Givony's most recent mock draft, he actually has Bailey falling all the way to number six where the Washington Wizards are slated to pick.

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