(Video) Kevin Durant's thoughts on Ace Bailey ahead of the NBA Draft elicit a candid reaction from the former Rutgers star

Heading into the 2025 NBA draft, Rutgers star Ace Bailey is one of the top prospects. He is projected to go early in the draft, although it is unclear which team will take him. Many draft experts have compared Bailey's style to NBA superstar Kevin Durant. Durant is widely viewed as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.

On Wednesday, the NBA Instagram account posted a clip of Ace Bailey being asked about Kevin Durant. He was first asked if he has had the opportunity to meet KD.

"No, I ain't met him personally but I talked to him on the phone," Bailey said. "It was great, great convos about the game of basketball and life in general."

Bailey was then shown a clip of Kevin Durant being asked about if comparisons between Ace Bailey and himself are valid.

"Yeah, I think so," Durant said. "It's insane the shots he can make over multiple people at that length. It's incredible to watch. Him and his teammate Dylan Harper are playing some great ball. They're one of my favorite teams to watch. He's a problem, I can't wait to see his career grow."

This earned an emotional reaction from Ace Bailey.

"That's hard," Bailey said. "I mean it feels good that one of the greats recognizes that about me. Hearing that from KD, that's everybody's favorite player, so him speaking on that to me is just like a blessing. Lets me know to just keep working. There's more to achieve."

Bailey played one college season with Rutgers before declaring for the 2025 NBA draft. He averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals per game as a freshman.

When is Ace Bailey projected to be selected in the 2025 NBA draft?

Heading into the 2025 NBA draft, Ace Bailey is one of the exciting prospects. However, there is speculation that he could fall down draft boards on Wednesday night. This is partially because Bailey chose not to work out with NBA teams, leading some teams to be concerned about whether he would want to play for them.

If not for his off-court antics, Bailey would likely be a top-five pick, possibly even top-three. However, with the antics, he could fall out of the top five. ESPN's latest mock draft has Bailey being selected by the Washington Wizards with the sixth pick. CBS Sports has the same projection in their latest mock draft.

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Edited by Alexander O'Reilly