3 Prospects Blazers should already be scouting for 2025 NBA Draft
By Reese Kunz
2. Ace Bailey, SG/SF, Rutgers
Plenty can change between now and the 2025 NBA Draft, but the consensus is that Duke's Flagg is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick, followed by Rutgers' Ace Bailey. Flagg has been the draft class headliner, and rightfully so, but the gap between Bailey and Flagg may not be as wide as some think. Bailey should at least be in the conversation to go No. 1 overall, and the Blazers will have to make him a priority when deciding which prospects to focus on scouting more.
The Blazers still need a go-to star to build around and be the focal point of their offense, and Bailey has the talent and upside to be just the player Portland has been missing. Bailey has excellent positional size at 6-foot-8 and elite athleticism, which would be scary to pair with high-flyer Sharpe. It also helps that the Blazers have Deni Avidja, who can play multiple positions, which would give them more lineup flexibility if they added Bailey into the mix.
If Portland finishes with a bottom-three record in the league this season, which is realistic, they would have a combined 27.4 percent chance of landing a top-two draft pick and either Flagg or Bailey. If Portland misses out on Flagg, Bailey would be an exciting "consolation prize."