Why Paul George wouldn't take Cooper Flagg with 1st pick in NBA Draft

02/17/2025 04:23 PM

Duke basketball star Cooper Flagg is a true freshman, but he is expected to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Before Flagg even stepped foot on campus, that expectation was there. However, there are some other incredibly impressive freshman in college basketball this year as well. One of them is Rutgers guard Ace Bailey. Bailey is expected to be one of the first players off the board as well, and Philadelphia 76ers veteran Paul George thinks that Bailey should be the first pick.

The top three picks in the 2025 NBA Draft will likely all be freshman. Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey will be off the board early, and so will Bailey’s teammate Dylan Harper. Most people assume that Flagg will go first, but Paul George gives the edge to Bailey.

“I would probably go Ace Bailey,” George said during an episode of his podcast. “I think Ace Bailey is a little bit more raw talent with still a ton of upside. I think Cooper Flagg, not to say he doesn't have upside, he has amazing upside as well but I think Ace Bailey has a little bit more upside to him. I think Ace Bailey can scratch a little bit more off of his surface than Cooper Flagg can.”

Once both players have been in the league for a while, George expects them to be stars. Right now, however, he is taking Bailey over Flagg.

“Which I think both will be All-Stars, both will be Superstars once they develop and get to the NBA,” George continued. “I think both will be superstars. I think those 2 will definitely be the Magic Johnson and Larry Bird comparison in terms of similar body types and the parody between those 2. But I'm going to go with Ace Bailey.”

Where do Ace Bailey and Cooper Flagg land in ESPN’s latest mock draft?

Right now, ESPN gives the edge to Cooper Flagg as they have him going to the Washington Wizards with the first overall pick. They also have Dylan Harper above Ace Bailey. Harper lands with the New Orleans Pelicans at #2, and Bailey rounds out the top-three as he lands with the Utah Jazz

“While other prospects have seen their production decline in conference play, Flagg has emerged as the best player in college basketball, and he has a chance to cement his legacy at Duke with a Final Four run,” Jonathan Givony said in his scouting report for Flagg. “He’s the country’s most competitive and versatile defender, and he has a stranglehold on the No. 1 pick conversation with the myriad ways he affects winning despite turning 18 in December. How he handles the spotlight moving forward will tell us more about whether he projects as “merely” an All-Star, or if, as some scouts suggest, he can develop into one of the NBA’s most impactful players.”

We still don’t know who will end up getting the first overall pick, but Flagg would solve a lot of problems for the Washington Wizards.

“The Wizards were active during last week’s trade deadline, using their flexibility to take on salary and add to their growing stockpile of draft picks,” Jeremy Woo said. “Those decisions won’t change their calculus picking near the top of the lottery. Flagg would be a tone-setting player around whom Washington could center its rebuild, and his growth in the shot-creation department has to be interesting to the Wizards, given the need for a playmaker to lead the team (on that note, Dylan Harper will surely be attractive to them as well). A long-term defensive front line of Flagg, Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly could give opposing teams real problems.”

Despite Rutgers’ struggles this year, Bailey has been one of the best players in college basketball. He has all the tools necessary for a successful career in the NBA.

“Bailey has had some spectacular moments in Big Ten play, benefiting from Harper’s absence to show off his talent as a 6-foot-10 shotmaker with incredible scoring prowess, posting three outings of 30-plus points in January,” Givony said on Bailey. “Bailey, who turns 19 in mid-August, is also making notable strides as a passer and defender, as the game appears to be slowing down as he gains experience against high-level competition. There’s no ceiling on Bailey’s long-term upside considering the development trajectory he is on, and a positive final month of the season could help him challenge Harper for the No. 2 pick. Every team in the NBA is searching for a big, explosive shooter and scorer with a competitive streak in Bailey’s mold.”

Again, the NBA Draft Lottery hasn’t happened yet, but the Jazz would love for it to work out in a way that lands them Ace Bailey.

“Utah didn’t make any major deals at the deadline, instead holding on to its veteran players and maintaining its status quo of angling for draft position,” Woo said. “At some point, the Jazz will have to make strides, but the star power in this draft and atop the 2026 class likely has Utah set to wait things out. Bailey’s youth and shotmaking would give the Jazz a potential offensive centerpiece. He would benefit from landing on a team with an extreme long-view approach.”

Paul George is taking Ace Bailey over Cooper Flagg at the moment, but he is in the minority with that pick. It would be surprising if Flagg isn’t the top pick in the NBA Draft.

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