As bizarre as it may sound, top NBA Draft prospect Ace Bailey has not met with any teams with the top 8 picks. With the Draft being in just four days, it puts a massive question mark on him. It’s led to his stock seemingly falling. That’s why NBA veteran Joe Johnson had some words of advice for the 18-year-old.
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It’s hard to understand Bailey’s approach. Most NBA Draft prospects go through a process, and part of that process is working out and sitting down with teams individually so that they can get a feel for the player. But Ace has decided to forgo that part of the process.
From Johnson’s perspective, he doesn’t really understand the decision. He doesn’t think it should affect his draft stock, but the veteran did offer some careful words of advice.
“For me, man, I would tell him to at least hear some of these teams out,” Johnson advised Bailey on Nightcap. “Maybe the first few teams that are picking, maybe he doesn’t even want to be drafted by them. You know what I mean? But I’ve gotten a chance to see Ace Bailey play in high school and in college. He is going to be an elite pro, and maybe he knows and understands that.”
Bailey is certainly an exciting prospect. At 6-foot-9, he’s an exceptional athlete and also has a great feel for the game. Naturally, teams in the lottery are drooling over his potential. Stretch forwards like him don’t come along too often.
But as it pertains to advice that Bailey is being given regarding the Draft process, Johnson is unsure what the Rutgers product is being told.
“I’m not sure what his agent is telling him or what they’re thinking. But if I’m Philly, man, it’s going to be hard to pass him up,” he said.
While Johnson sounded wary of the decision from Bailey, ultimately, he’s in love with the prospect. He went on to gush about the potential fit with the Philadelphia 76ers. Specifically, he highlighted Bailey’s pro-level game and shot-making ability.
“That man got a whole lot of game. And I could see him fitting in seamlessly with Tyrese Maxey, Embiid, and even Paul George. And they got some great young pieces over there, too, already. But he can flat out score the ball,” Johnson shared.
“If you look at when he played at Rutgers, look at the shots he took. That man is a hell of a shot-maker. In the pros, that’s what you’re looking for. You’re looking for guys who can make tough shots,” he added.
It’s a true sentiment, especially when it comes to big games. Sometimes the best basketball is when a player can rise and make tough, contested jumpers. It’s impossible to defend, and Iso Joe Johnson made a living off it when he played.
That’s why the veteran thinks it would be silly for the Sixers to pass up on Bailey’s potential. “If Philly passes up on him at the 3 spot, they’re going to probably regret that,” Johnson stated.
The host of the podcast, Shannon Sharpe, then joked that Bailey might be trying to pull a Charles Barkley and get out of Philly.
“He tried to pull a Charles Barkley. Charles Barkley said they wanted him at 280. Charles Barkley said, ‘Man, Philly is going to take me and they ain’t got no money, talking about paying me $50,000.’ He said I ain’t leaving Auburn for $50,000. He said, ‘I went to Sizzler, had me three t-bones, had two baked potatoes, all that bread. I weighed in at 299.’ And they were like, we’re still going to draft your fat a**,” Sharpe joked.
Whatever Bailey seems to be doing, it’s a strange approach, to say the least. Usually, top prospects want to show the team why they should be a top pick. But he’s choosing to play hard to get. It’s something that some teams might view as untrustworthy or enticing. The question is: Which team will bite the bait?
