While much of the attention is on freshman sensation Cooper Flagg of the Duke Blue Devils, another freshman has quickly become must-see TV: Rutgers Scarlet Knights five-star recruit Ace Bailey, alongside fellow freshman Dylan Harper.
The Scarlet Knights are off to a strong 4-0 start, and while Bailey missed the first two games of the season due to a minor injury, he has played in the last two and is already showcasing why he will be a force in the Big Ten and across the college basketball landscape.
Bailey is coming off a 23-point performance on Wednesday night against Merrimack. Through two games, he is averaging 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, shooting 42.9% from three, and 56% from the field.
Following Wednesday’s win, Bailey was asked which NBA players he models his game after as a 6-foot-10, 200-pound offensively gifted scorer. “Kevin Durant, Paul George, Jayson Tatum… and I’ll say [Tracy McGrady] too.” Bailey said. “They create shots, they put they teammates in situations where they know that they can succeed and step up and be a leader.”
Bailey is a high-usage, versatile guard with the ability to thrive in positionless lineups, a trend that has become increasingly prevalent in the NBA over the past few seasons. He can guard multiple positions and offensively adapt, whether playing as a ball-dominant guard or forward, or moving off the ball. He can do it all.
However, he is at his best when he has the ball in his hands, creating shots. A gifted scorer, Bailey models his game after players who are-or were-high-volume scorers.