“It’s straight bulls***”: Jeff Teague drops harsh reality check for Ace Bailey despite Rutgers freshman’s impressive season

Former NBA player Jeff Teague gave Rutgers freshman Ace Bailey a harsh reality check regarding his shot selection and how it's affecting the Scarlet Knights' campaign in the 2024-25 college basketball season.

Teague, who spent 12 seasons with Atlanta, Indiana, Minnesota, Boston, and Milwaukee, shared his thoughts about Bailey on Monday's episode of the Club 520 Podcast with Brandon Hendricks and DJ Wells.

Teague believes the 6-foot-10 guard is being inaccurately praised for his shooting skills.

As the No. 2-ranked freshman in the Class of 2024, trailing Duke guard/forward Cooper Flagg, Bailey averages 18.9 points per game, shoots 45.5% from the field, and 35.3% from the 3-point line. However, his free-throw shooting numbers don't support the notion that he was a good shooter out of high school. He has made only 56.4% of his attempts from the 15-foot line.

"It's straight bulls***," Teague said of Bailey (55:02).

"That's the difference between like AAU high school basketball and college basketball. Like, AAU that sh** fly. I post up, I shoot crazy, shot fade away, one leg, whatever, I do what I do. It's AAU. It don't mean nothing. If you lose, yeah, we go home," he added (55:19).

The Pike High School coach feels the Rutgers freshman is more focused on impressing NBA scouts with his stats rather than helping his team win.

Bailey is expected to leave Rutgers after one season and become a lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, like Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, and Khaman Maluach.

Teague criticized the guard's current shot selection, asserting that his shooting ability wasn't properly developed as he played at a smaller high school.

The former NBA All-Star and Wake Forest alumnus also noted that college basketball has a structure where coaches help players develop the discipline needed to take meaningful shots that contribute to the team's success.

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Ace Bailey tallies double-double, helps Rutgers end 3-game losing skid

On Monday, Ace Bailey silenced his critics by delivering a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double, leading Rutgers to victory over UCLA in a Big Ten Conference game held at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Bailey shot 7-of-13, including 1-of-4 from the 3-point line, and made all five attempts from the free-throw line, helping the Scarlet Knights break a three-game losing skid. He added two assists, one steal and three blocks for Rutgers, who improved to 9-8 (2-4 in Big Ten).

The 6-foot-10 guard scored 14 of his points in the second half, which included a 3-pointer and a 3-point play that turned Rutgers' 63-62 lead to a 73-66 advantage with 18 seconds left in the game.

Bailey's backcourt mate, Dylan Harper, finished with 18 points, four rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block for the Scarlet Knights, who handed UCLA its fourth loss in the Big Ten in six games (11-6 overall).

Rutgers will next play against Nebraska at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Thursday. The Cornhuskers are coming off a 104-68 loss to Purdue on Sunday.