NCAAB News: Expert explains why Ace Bailey might not be a star in the NBA

There’s no such thing as a ‘can’t-miss’ player in the NBA Draft. It surely looks like so, but we’ve seen countless projected stars fall short of expectations over and over.

Drafting is far from an exact science. There are many things that can influence a player’s career, from luck to maturity, all the way to health or being in the right environment.

That being said, Rutgers star Ace Bailey does look as close as it can be to a sure thing ahead of the NBA Draft. Even so, NBA analyst Morten Stig Jensen of Sports Illustrated isn’t that sure, especially because of his seemingly one-dimensional play.

NBA analyst reveals his biggest concern about Ace Bailey

“Does he pass enough? Can he offer something more than scoring? Both are fair concerns,” he wrote in his latest column. “The 6-foot-10 forward is nine games into his college career, which is still a small sample size, but he’s yet to really break through in any meaningful way.”

Ace Bailey #4 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights runs out the court before their game against the Texas A&M Aggies during the Players Era Festival basketball tournament at MGM Grand Garden Arena on November 30, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jensen continues by stating that as much as Bailey’s scoring averages are impressive for the college basketball standard, he doesn’t provide much more in other areas of the game:

“Bailey’s 17.9 points per game look fine if you follow the box score, but it’s taking him 15.2 shots to get there, and he hasn’t exactly been a pillar of efficiency, sporting a true-shooting of just 52.7% on the season. Making matters even more complicated is the fact that Bailey isn’t exactly helping out elsewhere,” he added. “He has gathered a total of just five assists on the season, spread out across 305 minutes, and has yet to produce two or more assists in a single game.”

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Bailey was an elite shot-blocker in high school, but he hasn’t been as impactful as a rim protector against bigger, better, and more athletic competition. Even so, some of his flaws can definitely be coached out of his game, and he’s too talented to overlook.

Ernesto Cova is a bilingual (English-Spanish) sports writer with over eight years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, MLB, College Basketball, and international soccer. He rejoined Bolavip US as a collaborator after initially contributing to the platform since its inception in 2020, where he also served as a sub-editor in 2023. Ernesto specializes in daily sports news, producing 100% original content that includes trade rumors, player and team rankings, and more. He holds a BA in Psychology from Universidad Central de Venezuela and has completed postgraduate studies in Sports Psychology at APDA (Argentina). Before returning to Bolavip US, he contributed to Fadeaway World and The Cold Wire, with a primary focus on the NBA.