SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz swung for the fences — and ignored all the pre-draft noise in the process.
The Jazz took Rutgers forward Ace Bailey with the fifth pick in the 2025 NBA draft Wednesday, selecting the player that seemed destined to be a top-three pick before an odd pre-draft process.
Bailey reportedly refused to work out for any team in the top five, drawing speculation that he (or at least his agent) was trying to formulate a drop to a preferred destination.
That wasn’t Utah, but that didn’t stop the Jazz from taking Bailey, who is seen as the best pure scorer in the draft.
To his credit, Bailey said he let his agent and inner circle deal with the pre-draft process and then trusted their advice.
“I haven’t been worried about that. I’ve just been focusing on basketball. That’s the main thing. That’s why I’m here is just to play basketball,” Bailey said.
So, no hard feelings?
Preferred destination or not, it didn’t stop Bailey and his family from appreciating the moment.
“When they called my name … it was very emotional,” Bailey said. “My mom, I mean, she’s crying; the whole table’s crying because they know the hard work and sacrifices we made to be in this position — not just me, but my family also.”
Bailey was considered a top-three pick before the pre-draft shenanigans tanked his stock a bit. Utah, though, was willing to look past that and trust the talent.
And there’s plenty of it.
The 6-foot-8 forward’s game has drawn comparison to some of basketball’s top wings — Kevin Durant, Paul George and Jayson Tatum — and after a 17-win campaign, the Jazz are hoping he can at least get close to those heights.
His pull-up game was elite at Rutgers despite some questionable (at best) shot selection. His advanced footwork and multiple combo moves allowed him to create space to get shots up.
But he didn’t need much of it.
Bailey was one of the best tough-shot makers in college basketball. His high release and great balance on his shots made it really tough on defenders. He also shot 39% on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, showing he doesn’t need the ball to be effective.
“A leader, confidence, hard worker,” said Bailey when asked what he could bring to the Jazz. “Just a player that pushes people to be the best. A very great teammate. … I’m the person that’s going to push everybody to be the best they can be, even the coaches.”
But he was one of the more polarizing players in the draft — and that was before the pre-draft shenanigans.
His shot diet was brutal — featuring mostly long, contested midrange pull-ups — and he rarely attacked the rim despite his length and bounce. His decision-making was shaky, and he at times lacked effort on the defensive end. In short, he didn’t maximize his tools.
Was that coaching? Poor spacing? Or something riskier?
Still, he has the talent to end up being the second-best player in the draft. And for a team like the Jazz still looking for a blue-chip cornerstone, he was worth the risk.
And he knows there’s plenty for him to improve on leading into his first NBA season.
“I feel like I can improve on everything. I’m very young. I’m just coming to the game, so it’s a lot of stuff I can improve, physically and mentally,” he said. “I mean, from jump shots to more creativity, to more ballhandling, just all over the place.”
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