Ace Bailey has handled his pre-draft process about as oddly as anyone in recent memory.
The Rutgers freshman phenom just made maybe his most curious decision yet. ESPN reported that Bailey canceled his workout with the Philadelphia 76ers, who hold the No. 3 overall pick.
“Bailey’s pre-draft strategy has perplexed NBA teams over the past month, as he is currently the only US-based prospect yet to visit any NBA teams,” ESPN’s Jonathan Givony writes. “He has declined invitations from multiple teams in his draft range, which is considered to be anywhere from 3 to 8.”
It’s not clear what Bailey is doing. Maybe he’ll speak more about it after the draft.
But just a week out from teams making selections, Bailey’s draft stock is officially in serious flux, and it seems to be his doing.
ESPN also reported that the 76ers aren’t opposed to drafting Bailey even after this choice. Givony writes that both Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain were positive Philadelphia draft picks that came without private workouts.
It’s all a bit weird, though. Is something up with Bailey that no one knows about?
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The 6-foot-10 scoring dynamo probably has more skill than most people realize, but he’s still a bit raw and random, more than some teams would want with a top-five pick.
This system rewards the biggest hits, though, so if the 76ers or any other team thinks Bailey’s upside is the way to go, they’ll take him.
Whether Philadelphia has enough data to confidently make that decision is now a much more open question.
Regardless, the 76ers are closing in on a huge draft, and the Bailey conundrum appears to be front and center. How it all plays out could impact the franchise for years to come.
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