‘Went crazy…’ Paul George admits he was wrong about 2025 NBA Draft pick who ‘knows what he wants’

Paul George admits he was wrong about Ace Bailey

Paul George spoke on his podcast about Ace Bailey. He issued somewhat of a retraction for his previous comments about the young star.

After seeing him perform well at the Summer League, George understands that the young star just wanted to have some control over where he would play in the NBA.

“I want to kind of retract what I said. How can we get on a kid that, kind of, knows what he wants? We’re not in his shoes.

“He wants to do it his way. He’s good enough, he’s got the talent, he’s gonna go where he wants to go. That’s his decision.

“It could have backfired, but it didn’t. He’s still in a great situation; he still gets to showcase what he could do. He had a great game too. He went crazy, showed his potential, a flash of it.”

Philadelphia 76ers star did not go easy on Ace Bailey in original comments

This definitely wasn’t the case the last time George spoke about the young star. Paul George slammed Bailey for his pre-draft approach, saying that he was being influenced by the wrong people.

“If I’m Ace Bailey, I can’t get mad if my stock drops. 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. 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 whose representing him, but I don’t think they’re going about it the right way.”

It’s clear that with his Summer League performance, Bailey has earned the respect of Paul George.

Even though he wouldn’t discredit new teammate VJ Edgecombe, one has to wonder whether George thinks his team made a mistake taking him over Bailey.