Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Kevin Durant's Thoughts on Ace Bailey Comparison Earn a Big Reaction from the Rutgers Star

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Alex O'Reilly | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 2:26 PM ET

The 2025 NBA draft is quickly approaching and one of the biggest stars entering the draft is Rutgers Ace Bailey. Bailey had a tremendous freshman season, averaging 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals per game. His impressive performance has earned him comparisons to NBA star and Texas alumni Kevin Durant. Durant agreed when asked about the comparisons.

"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."

In a post on the NBA Instagram account on Wednesday, Bailey was shown this clip and reacted.

"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."

Despite the comparison to Durant, there is speculation that Bailey could fall out of the top five of the 2025 NBA draft. A big reason for that is Bailey's decision not to work out with any NBA teams ahead of the draft. There is speculation from many media members that Bailey is trying to avoid some teams at the top of the draft while engineering the team he gets selected by.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: