Vecenie projects Bailey as a top-five pick due to his pure talent. “Some see real star upside, while some see a good, Michael Porter Jr.-like role player, and yet others worry significantly about his decision-making. The pre-draft process will be incredibly important,” Vecenie wrote.

Rutgers star Ace Bailey shared multiple posts on his Instagram page Thursday with photos of himself with the word “Declared” in big bold letters, and according to an ESPN report, that’s exactly what the freshman guard did, declaring himself for the 2025 NBA Draft.

Rutgers' Ace Bailey, a projected top-three pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, made the expected official on Wednesday and declared for the NBA Draft, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN. Bailey talked about how much he enjoyed playing at Rutgers — "I felt a lot of love from