Ace Bailey modeled his game after Paul George. Could they become teammates at the 2025 NBA draft?

CHICAGO — Ace Bailey was ready for the question about the NBA players after whom he has modeled his game.

He instantly ripped off a “Big 3” of Kevin Durant, Paul George, and Jayson Tatum, with a splash of Tracy McGrady and Carmelo Anthony.

“We all do the same thing, for real,” the former Rutgers wing said during his NBA draft combine availability Wednesday afternoon. “We create shots. We can shoot over defenders. We create our own space.”

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Perhaps it is fitting that Bailey is generally viewed as the third-best prospect available in a loaded 2025 NBA draft. That is where the 76ers are slotted following Monday’s wild draft lottery, which resulted in the Sixers not only keeping their top-six protected pick but moving up two spots. By Wednesday afternoon, had Bailey thought about the possibility that he could become George’s teammate?

“It’s hard not to,” Bailey said. “I hear [the comparison] a lot, so that’d be crazy. I could maybe learn some stuff from a vet.”

Bailey drawing comparisons to an 18-year-old version of those superstar wings is understandable. He boasts a 6-foot-10, 200-pound frame with length and athleticism, and averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in 30 games for Rutgers. He also has the moxie to take difficult shots, which is simultaneously the most eye-popping and critiqued part of his game during this predraft evaluation. He said Wednesday that his confidence to fire away stems from mimicking gamelike scenarios, including drawing multiple defenders, during his workout repetitions.

“What might be a bad shot to you, you don’t work on it,” Bailey said. “I work on it, so that’s how I look at it.”

Yet Bailey’s shooting efficiency numbers — particularly 69.2% mark from the free-throw line, a frequent indicator of NBA potential — is worth a head tilt. At the very least, Bailey is viewed as a longer-term project whose developmental timeline may not align with the win-now Sixers, whose roster is still headlined by George and Joel Embiid. That is why electric two-way wing VJ Edgecombe — or crafty combo guard Dylan Harper, if he slips past the second pick — is also considered an option for the Sixers at No. 3. So is trading down for prospects such as dynamite shooter Kon Knueppel, skilled big man Derik Queen, or interior anchor Khaman Maluach — or all the way out of the first round for an established NBA talent.

Bailey, though, believes he can be more than a shotmaker. He calls himself an underrated passer, another byproduct of frequently being double- and triple-teamed since high school and using his height to view the court. He has the physical traits to develop as a defender, totaling 38 blocks and 30 steals for Rutgers. And, as a teammate, he strives to be uplifting and high-energy.

“If somebody’s having a bad day,” Bailey said, “I’m the type of person to come crack a joke to make somebody laugh.”

He flashed that humor during Wednesday’s media session, when he took out his phone and pretended to be a reporter inside Queen’s and point guard Jeremiah Fears’ scrums. His makeup also can be traced back to his hometown of Chattanooga, where he can still name his favorite fishing spot (Raccoon Mountain).

Bailey then went to McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Ga., where he blossomed into the second-best recruit in the 2024 class, according to 24/7. He teamed up with Harper at Rutgers for one season that, on the surface, ended with an inexplicable 15-17 record and no NCAA Tournament berth. Bailey acknowledged that college disappointment came up during combine interviews Wednesday morning, but that he believes the adversity will be an experience he can lean on during the NBA grind.

“You can’t think about that game you lost,” Bailey said. “You’ve got to go to the next game, because it’s 82 games in the season. It’s way more than what it was in college, so you don’t have that much time to sit back and be like, ‘We lost.’ You’ve got to move on and keep playing.”

That mentality would perhaps be most immediately valuable on a rebuilding team that endures mounting defeats. Those types of franchises also are typically near the top of the draft. The exception is the Sixers, who hope improved health leads to an instant turnaround following their horrific 24-58 season.

And if they end up selecting Bailey third in the draft, he would become teammates with a basketball idol in George.

“For [players such as George] to be able to get a shot off, it’s just unbelievable,” Bailey said. “But I see myself doing the same thing.”