NBA
Ex-NBA star believes Ace Bailey deserves to be the Draft’s No. 1 pick
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated7 hours ago on May 21, 2025
With the lottery being drawn last week and the NBA Draft only a month away, there’s been so much speculation swirling around the league’s franchises. However, one of the biggest givens is how 18-year-old Cooper Flagg is expected to become the next No. 1 overall pick.
Nevertheless, with many young up-and-coming studs topping the prospect list, some believe there are other future superstars who have even more potential than the Duke freshman. For example, there are two prospects from Rutgers University who could still steal the spotlight.
There’s an ex-NBA star who strongly believes forward Ace Bailey should be picked over everybody at No. 1. “I think Ace Bailey is the No. 1 pick. I think he’s the closest thing we’ve seen to a Tracy McGrady,” DeMarcus Cousins said on Tuesday, during a FanDuel TV broadcast.
However, everyone in the Mavericks organization has been preparing everything for the arrival of the Blue Devil superstar. Every time someone mentions Flagg’s name, coach Jason Kidd is all smiles, as happened this Monday morning during a podcast show. The tactician said “We love that kid from Duke.”
The Dallas coach can’t help but start to envision what his next season might look like, considering they are so close to taking the No. 1 pick of the draft back to Texas. “I see a young man who is only 18 years old who can do a lot of things,” Kidd shared at the start of the week.
“He won’t be 19 until December, which is really surprising, but I think when you talk about being able to play 2 through 4, and in today’s game, you might be able to sneak him around the five, if we’re going to label him as a position player. Maybe there’s still some growth, only being 18, he could still grow,” he added.
However, Jason still isn’t sure which is the best way to use him, considering Flagg’s versatility. “But I think you can play him at the two, his ability to shoot the ball, to be able to put on the floor. Again, as I talked about, we can have a big group out there that could start,” the tactician explained.
