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Tim Bontemps
NEW YORK — Within the first shock of the 2025 NBA draft, the Utah Jazz took a swing on drafting Rutgers ahead Ace Bailey, one of many greatest skills — and mysteries — on this yr’s class.
After the Jazz took him with the No. 5 decide, Utah president of basketball operations Austin Ainge instructed ESPN, “We actually like him as a participant and a slot in our program.”
Bailey stated he had “no concept” the Jazz have been fascinated about drafting him. Utah additionally was not amongst his most popular locations, a supply instructed ESPN’s Jonathan Givony within the lead-up to the NBA draft.
However Bailey stated he believes he’ll mesh nicely together with his new teammates.
“I really feel like as soon as I are available, it is going to be numerous work,” he stated. “I really feel like I am an individual that likes to work out loads. I will push my teammates to be the perfect they are often. I need to are available and be a frontrunner as a younger cat.”
The Jazz additionally landed Florida star Walter Clayton Jr., who was taken by the Washington Wizards with the No. 18 decide earlier than being traded to Utah for Nos. 21 and 43 in addition to second-round picks in 2031 and 2032.
Bailey’s predraft technique had been a significant supply of intrigue within the days main as much as the draft. He was projected for a lot of the season to be a top-three decide and entered Wednesday ranked No. 3 on ESPN’s Prime 100 prospects checklist, however he was the one American participant who, coming into draft night time, hadn’t carried out a single exercise with an NBA workforce.
That fueled a perception that Bailey and his camp had a most popular vacation spot in thoughts that was outdoors of the highest 5, and consequently, he started to slip down draft projections. In ESPN’s ultimate mock draft, he was projected to go to the Wizards at No. 6.
Bailey was a hotly debated prospect amongst NBA groups all season. At 6-foot-9 in sneakers with tantalizing shotmaking capability, he has the scale to be an enormous wing, essentially the most useful positional archetype within the league. However Bailey can also be not notably environment friendly and has vital room to enhance as a ball handler and passer.
Coming into the draft, Washington checked a number of bins for Bailey, who’s from Chattanooga, Tennessee, however grew up in Atlanta. The Wizards, who’re within the midst of a rebuild, are a workforce in determined want of a tentpole star, a participant who can develop into being the main scorer on a high-level workforce — one thing Bailey, if he excels, is suited to be.
However the Jazz, who had the NBA’s worst report final season at 17-65, are in the identical state of affairs, they usually weren’t deterred from taking Bailey simply because they did not get an opportunity to work him out.
Utah’s roster has loads of room for Bailey to function in and will probably be led by one of many league’s greatest coaches in Will Hardy, who agreed to a long-term extension with the franchise this offseason.
Bailey stated he was glad to be completed with the draft course of.
“I am able to play some basketball now,” he stated. “It is simply been a terrific journey. Me working laborious, pushing myself bodily and mentally, simply getting ready for the subsequent stage.”