Duke forward <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/cooper-flagg-152774/">Cooper Flagg</a> is seen as the slam dunk No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 <a href="https://www.on3.com/pro/category/nba-draft/news/">NBA Draft</a>. But come Wednesday, June 25, former <a href="https://www.on3.com/pro/category/nba/news/">NBA</a> All-Star center <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/demarcus-cousins-33690/">DeMarcus Cousins</a> believes Rutgers forward <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/ace-bailey-150396/">Ace Bailey</a> should be the first name read by commissioner Adam Silver. 



Cousins likes Bailey a lot. He sees shades of a Basketball Hall of Famer in his game. 



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Boogie Cousins would pick Ace Bailey over Cooper Flagg with the #1 pick in the NBA Draft 🤯 "He's the closest thing we've seen to Tracy McGrady."<a href="https://twitter.com/boogiecousins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@boogiecousins</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/GeorgesNiang20?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GeorgesNiang20</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/MichelleDBeadle?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MichelleDBeadle</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamLou23?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TeamLou23</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ChandlerParsons?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChandlerParsons</a> <a href="https://t.co/G9yEyrDxpY">pic.twitter.com/G9yEyrDxpY</a>— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/RunItBackFDTV/status/1924841680269664335?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2025</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



“I like Ace Bailey. To me, Ace Bailey is the No. 1 pick. I think Ace Bailey’s the No. 1 pick,” Cousins said on <a href="https://x.com/RunItBackFDTV/status/1924841680269664335">Run It Back</a>. “I think he’s the closest thing we’ve seen to Tracy McGrady.”



Cousins might be the first person to advocate for Bailey going No. 1. Not that Bailey isn’t a talented player, he is, but Flagg is seen as a <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/zion-williamson-123882/">Zion Williamson</a> or <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/victor-wembanyama-175314/">Victor Wembanyama</a>-type prospect. The kind of player where you don’t ask questions, you submit the pick and immediately reap the benefits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ace-bailey-projected-to-go-top-3-in-2025-nba-draft">Ace Bailey projected to go top 3 in 2025 NBA Draft</h2>



Flagg was the No. 1 player in the Class of 2024. Bailey was No. 2 and showcased his ability during his lone season with the Scarlet Knights. Bailey appeared in 30 games, posting averages of 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He shot 46% from the field and 34.6% from behind the arc. 



Flagg is still likely to go No. 1. But Bailey should not wait long to hear his name called. Bailey and Rutgers teammate <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/dylan-harper-150969/">Dylan Harper</a> are the consensus top two players after Flagg. 



Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison received a manna from heaven when his team secured the No. 1 overall pick via the NBA Draft Lottery despite having just a 1.8% chance of winning it. But as we’ve seen with Harrison — notably trading <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/luka-doncic-80495/">Luka Doncic</a> to the Los Angeles Lakers — nothing is off the table. Cousins isn’t convinced Harrison keeps the pick.



“I don’t see Nico — there’s no way he keeps that pick,” Cousins said. “With everything he’s already said on record as far as his window of winning a Championship, it just doesn’t logically make sense.”

Ace Bailey

On3 NBA Draft

5GOATs

Boogie Cousins tabs Ace Bailey as No. 1 NBA Draft pick over Cooper Flagg

team image

Pro News

NFL News

NFL Draft News

NASCAR

NBA News

NBA Draft News

Culture

Sports Betting

About

Football

Basketball

Women's Basketball

Softball

Baseball

Alabama

Arizona State

Arizona

Arkansas

Auburn

Baylor

Boston College

California

Removed

Clemson

Colorado

Duke

Florida

Florida State

Georgia

Georgia Tech

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Kentucky

Lettermen Row

Lettermen Lounge

Louisville

Maryland

Miami

Michigan State

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi State

Missouri

NC State

Nebraska

North Carolina

Northwestern

Notre Dame

Ohio State

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Ole Miss

The Main Board

Oregon

Oregon State

Penn State

Pittsburgh

Purdue

Rutgers

South Carolina

Stanford

Syracuse

Tennessee

Texas A&M

Texas

Texas Tech

UCLA

Utah

Vanderbilt

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Washington

Washington State

West Virginia

Wisconsin

BamaOnLine

BOL Round Table

Inside Texas

IT Members Only

DawgsHQ

Dawg Walk

Scoop Duck

Recruiting & Sports

AuburnSports

The Corner

WeAreSC

GarryP's Trojan Huddle

The Wolverine

The Fort

The Lions Den

The Wolfpacker

The Wolves’ Den

GatorsOnline

Swamp Talk

Alabama A&M

Alabama State

Albany

Alcorn State

Abilene Christian

Appalachian State

Akron

Army

Austin Peay

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Arkansas-Little Rock

Arkansas State

Air Force

Ball State

American

Wofford

Winthrop

Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Wisconsin-Green Bay

Wichita State

Western Carolina

Volleyball

Gymnastics

Men's Lacrosse

Women's Lacrosse

Men's Soccer

Women's Soccer

Women's Track

Men's Golf

Women's Golf

Men's Hockey

Women's Hockey

Men's Swimming

Women's Swimming

Wrestling

Men's Tennis

Women's Tennis

Annual $1

Annual Premium

Annual $1 

Monthly

Annual

Unlimited Access to This and All Articles.

Article (On3 Plus Rivals)

Forum (On3 Plus Rivals)

Intro

Join

College scoop, experts, and community - all in one.

Winback

Way-Too-Early CFB prediction

2026 All-America Team

Final 2026 recruiting rankings

5-Star Countdown

Announce settlement agreement

Duke, Darian Mensah

Asks for Bediako judge recusal

NCAA files motion 

New update on eligibility

Charles Bediako