Ace Bailey of Rutgers shrugs off questions about canceled workout ahead of the NBA draft

NEW YORK (AP) — Ace Bailey fidgeted with a red yo-yo, catching the eyes of members of a media horde that pressed the former Rutgers star to flash some tricks. Dylan Harper, his former teammate and fellow likely NBA lottery pick, hovered nearby and said Bailey had indeed mastered yo-yo staples such as walk the dog and the gravity pull.

Bailey, though, passed on putting on a show for the masses.

“Catch me outside,” Bailey said at a Manhattan hotel.

How about that? Bailey declined again in the run-up to the NBA draft to showcase his abilities.

Still just 18 years old, Bailey has turned into one of the more vexing prospects heading into Wednesday night’s draft. His talent and infectious personality are apparent both on video and in person.

But he’s getting questions about his maturity as he enters the adult world of the NBA.

Notably, Bailey canceled a scheduled workout with the Philadelphia 76ers, who hold the No. 3 overall pick.

He has not had a public workout for any team, a puzzling strategy that got him called out by critics ranging from current NBA players to analysts to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

A 6-foot-8 forward who can score like few players in this year’s draft class, Bailey offered little explanation Tuesday for his pre-draft decision-making.

Such as, why didn’t he want to work out for Philadelphia?

“I’m just blessed to be in this position I am right now. That’s all. Take it day-by-day,” he said.

OK, how does he deal with rumors that NBA front offices are concerned about him, or reports that he fared poorly in draft combine interviews?

“I can control what I can control. Me playing basketball,” Bailey said.

Reminded that attending a workout was within his control, he said: “I’m focused on basketball.”

Once projected as a top-three pick, Bailey could find himself waiting a bit longer than Harper, who might go at No. 2 to San Antonio. Bailey likely won’t plummet like Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the NFL draft, but his actions — orchestrated by agent Omar Cooper — could be causing doubt among NBA executives.

They certainly raised an eyebrow for a potential future teammate, 76ers star Paul George.

“I mean, I think if I’m Ace Bailey I can’t get mad if my stock drops,” George said on his podcast. “But he’s canceled all workouts. Like he hasn’t worked out for any team. So, I think they made a big deal ’cause we were scheduled to work him out and he canceled the day of. But he hasn’t worked out for any team. But you’re not in a position to be making those demands. Make it to the league first. It’s for sure the people around him. I don’t know who’s representing him, but I don’t think they’re going about it the right way.”

ESPN NBA draft analyst Jay Bilas said Tuesday he wasn’t bothered by Bailey declining to work out for teams if he and his agent had a specific destination in mind. Bilas noted NFL stars John Elway and Eli Manning manipulated their way to preferred teams during their draft years, so why not Bailey? It worked out just fine for those future Super Bowl champion quarterbacks.

“I wouldn’t schedule something and then cancel out,” Bilas said. “That’s a question of professionalism, but he’s 18 years old, so he’s navigating this process for the first time, so I’m not bothered by that too much.”

Bailey averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in his lone season for Rutgers, which had a losing record even with him and Harper. Bailey can attack the paint and stretch defenses with his range. He shot 34.6% from beyond the arc and had five games in January with at least four 3-pointers.

Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Bailey were ranked 1-2 in the 2024 recruiting class by 247Sports, Rivals, On3 and ESPN. Now Flagg is the projected No. 1 overall pick for Dallas while one Associated Press mock draft had Bailey dropping to the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 7.

Harper, who’s expected to join star Victor Wembanyama and Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle in San Antonio, dismissed any potential red flags with Bailey.

“He’s the funniest teammate in the locker room,” Harper said. “If the energy is down, he’s going to bring the energy up. Him in the locker room is probably the best thing that’s probably going for him. His energy is contagious and you’re going to feel it whether you want to feel it or not.”

Maybe Harper’s scouting report is accurate — but a handful of teams would have liked to have found that out themselves.