Paul George prefers Ace Bailey over Cooper Flagg as top pick in 2025 NBA Draft

Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George would opt for Rutgers’ Ace Bailey over Duke’s Cooper Flagg in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Flagg is expected to go No. 1 overall, but Bailey’s name has drawn attention. Flagg, along with Bailey and fellow Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper, were the top three recruits in the class of 2024 and all seen as top five picks, if not the first three selections.

But George thinks Bailey might have a bit more upside to his game than Flagg in the long run.

“I think Ace Bailey is a little bit more raw talent with still a ton of upside,” George said on Podcast P with Paul George. “I think Cooper Flagg, not to say he doesn’t have upside, he has amazing upside as well but I think Ace Bailey has a little bit more upside to him.

“I think Ace Bailey can scratch a little bit more off of his surface than Cooper Flagg can. Which I think both will be All-Stars, both will be superstars once they develop and get to the NBA. I think both will be superstars. I think those two will definitely be the Magic Johnson and Larry Bird comparison in terms of similar body types and the parity between those two. But I’m going to go with Ace Bailey.”

George’s cohost, former Stanford star Casey Jacobsen, agreed with the take and even predicted Bailey would go No. 1 overall over Flagg.

“I actually think that Cooper Flagg’s gonna go No. 2,” Jacbosen said. “I think that Ace Bailey should be seriously considered by NBA general managers, and here’s why. While Cooper Flagg maybe has the higher floor, I think that Ace Bailey has the higher ceiling as a scorer. It wouldn’t surprise me at all in a couple years if Ace Bailey is averaging 25-30 points per game as a scorer. He’s that talented offensively.”

In 26 games this season, Bailey has 18.4 points per game, 7.2 rebounds, 1.,2 assists, shoots 46.4% from the floor and 36.7% from three-point range. Unfortunately for Rutgers, despite the stardom and talent of Bailey and Harper, Rutgers has struggled and is 14-14 with three games left.

The Scarlet Knights are very unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, Duke is ranked No. 2 in the latest AP Poll and Flagg has been a star.

Flagg, in 27 games, has 19.5 points per game, 7.7 rebounds per game, four assists per game, shoots 48.6% from the floor and 37.3% from three-point range.