Cooper Flagg has yet to make a decision on whether or not he’ll stick around in Durham for another year.

But Duke’s top-ranked freshman shouldn’t go No. 1 in the eyes of nine-time All-Star Paul George.

On a recent episode of his “Podcast P” show, the 76ers swingman argued that Rutgers frosh Ace Bailey might have a little more upside for an NBA team in the long run.

“I think Ace Bailey is a little bit more raw talent with still a ton of upside,” George said. “I think Cooper Flagg, not to say he doesn’t have upside, he has amazing upside as well but I think Ace Bailey has a little bit more upside to him.”

“I think Ace Bailey can scratch a little bit more off of his surface than Cooper Flagg can,” the veteran SF continued. “Which I think both will be All-Stars, both will be superstars once they develop and get to the NBA.

… I think those two will definitely be the Magic Johnson and Larry Bird comparison in terms of similar body types and the parity between those two. But I’m going to go with Ace Bailey.”

George’s co-host Casey Jacobsen agreed with his Ace Bailey take and even predicted that the Scarlet Knights star will be taken first over Flagg this summer.

“I actually think that Cooper Flagg’s gonna go No. 2. I think that Ace Bailey should be seriously considered by NBA general managers, and here’s why,” the retired shooting guard explained.

CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 08: Cooper Flagg #2 of the Duke Blue Devils plays against the Clemson Tigers during their game at Littlejohn Coliseum on February 08, 2025 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

“While Cooper Flagg maybe has the higher floor, I think that Ace Bailey has the higher ceiling as a scorer. It wouldn’t surprise me at all in a couple years if Ace Bailey is averaging 25-30 points per game as a scorer. He’s that talented offensively.”

Clearly PG13 and others are really high on Ace and it’s easy to see why. But we shouldn’t discount what Flagg’s been able to do since arriving at Duke.