For most of the college basketball season, Cooper Flagg has been the consensus first-overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. However, we’ve seen how quickly things can change.
Some believe that Rutgers star Ace Bailey actually has a higher ceiling. Judging by the tape, there’s a case to be made for him being the No. 1 selection in almost every class.
Nevertheless, that’s not how Wynston Wilcox of FanSided feels. In his latest column, he shed light on Bailey’s early-season shortcomings and how he doesn’t compare to Cooper Flagg.
Analyst says Cooper Flagg is still the top prospect
“Bailey is a good player, but he showed a lot of flaws early on in his one year at Rutgers. For one, he’s a volume shooter. There’s nothing wrong with that, per se, but he has to take a lot of shots to get into a rhythm and they aren’t always good looks,” wrote Wilcox. “To me, that’s his biggest flaw and why he won’t get drafted over Cooper Flagg and certainly won’t be the No. 1 pick. Flagg’s game can translate to the NBA right now. Bailey needs to fine tune his game more to be elite like a No. 1 overall pick.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean that Bailey isn’t an elite prospect or that he can’t end up being a superstar at the next level. He could even turn out to be better than Flagg.
Then again, at this point in their developments, it seems like Bailey’s flaws are bigger and more evident than Flagg’s, and he’s not as complete as a player, either. You couldn’t go wrong either way, though.