- The Utah Jazz selected Ace Bailey with the fifth pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
- Bailey, a Rutgers forward, was expected to be a top-three pick initially.
- Despite pre-draft concerns, Jazz trust Bailey's talent, comparing him to NBA stars.
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, drawing speculation that he (or at least his agent) was trying to formulate a drop to a preferred destination. That might not have been Utah — but
The Jazz, though, opted to 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.
"KD (Kevin Durant), Paul George, Jayson Tatum and T Mac (Tracy McGrady)," Bailey said, when asked who he models his game after. "But I can see some Melo (Carmelo Anthony) in me, too. We all do the same thing for when we create shots. I mean, we can shoot over defenders, we create our own space and stuff like that."
Still, he was one of the more polarizing players in the draft — and that was before the pre-draft shenanigans.
His shot diet was brutal — several long, contested midrange pull-ups — and he rarely attacked the rim despite his length and bounce. His decision-making was shaky, and he 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.
"Blessed just to hear my name if I go one or if I go six," he said when asked about potentially being drafted by the Jazz. "Just to hear my name being called is a blessing."
