Ace Bailey Avoids Questions on Workouts, Desired Draft Landing Spot Amid NBA Rumors

NBA draft prospect Ace Bailey was coy on Tuesday when asked about his decision to skip workouts with certain teams ahead of the draft.

Per ClutchPoints' Erik Slater, Bailey was asked 10 questions about his choice to skip workouts, and his message for each was that he's "blessed" and “controlling what he can control, focusing on basketball.”

"I'm just working on basketball, that's all I'm focused on," Bailey told reporters. "I can only control what I can control, you can think what you think... I'm focused on basketball."

Bailey, a presumed top pick coming out of college, has had an interesting approach to the draft process that hasn't exactly boded well for him. While most players held individual workouts with teams and had planned visits with different squads, Bailey chose not to. He was set to meet with the Philadelphia 76ers, who hold the No. 3 pick, last Friday, but cancelled that meeting just days before.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported that Bailey's approach to the draft has confused teams in recent weeks.

"NBA teams are a little bit perplexed about his pre-draft process," Givony said on NBA Today last week. "He's the only player who has yet to conduct a single workout to this point. He has not visited any NBA team facilities. Ace Bailey's camp is adamant in conversations that he's a top-three player in this draft, and they're looking for a clear pathway to stardom both with minutes and opportunities."

While Bailey's antics over the last few weeks might turn some teams off of him, there's still no questioning his caliber as a player. He averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 boards per game at Rutgers last season, establishing himself as one of the best freshmen in the country.

Though Bailey was widely projected to be a top-three pick at the end of the college basketball season, many have pegged Baylor's VJ Edgecombe to jump him in the draft. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman has the 76ers drafting Edgecombe at No. 3 and the Charlotte Hornets taking Bailey at No. 4 in his most recent mock draft.

Bailey might end up falling further than he initially expected, but he reportedly won't have a drastic slide, and it won't be surprising if he still lands inside the top five.