The 2025 NBA Draft had only had one surprise early on.
The Dallas Mavericks kicked off the night by taking Duke forward Cooper Flagg with the first pick. As expected, the San Antonio Spurs then took Rutgers guard Dylan Harper off the board. Among all of the talented prospects who’ll hear their name called on Wednesday, those two are considered the safest bets to be high-quality starters, if not stars. The problem came with the Philadelphia 76ers, who held the third overall pick.
Rutgers forward Ace Bailey, who at one point was a challenger to be the No. 1 pick, avoided workouts with the Sixers. The word was that he was looking to go to the Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards or Brooklyn Nets. As a result, Philly pivoted to VJ Edgecombe. The Hornets picked right after the Sixers but instead of selecting Bailey, they selected Flagg’s teammate, Kon Knueppel.
Jazz Send Shock Waves With 2025 No. 5 Pick
Then came the Utah Jazz.
Though Bailey didn’t have them on his preferred destination, they still drafted him at No. 5. From a psychological standpoint, they’ve already run the risk of getting off on the wrong foot with him. However, there’s an argument to be made that Bailey was the best fit for the Jazz out of anyone not named Flagg.
Ace Bailey is selected 5th overall by the @utahjazz in the 2025 #NBADraft presented by State Farm!
Watch on ABC & ESPN. pic.twitter.com/a9D3KKq1Fk
— NBA (@NBA) June 26, 2025
Utah’s wing/forward rotation is pretty deep on the surface. Lauri Markkanen is the face of the franchise. Brice Sensabaugh is an efficient outside shooter with the ability to create for himself. However, 2024 No. 10 pick Cody Williams had an unremarkable rookie season. 2023 No. 9 pick Taylor Hendricks is recovering from a significant leg injury.
However, none of them have Bailey’s ceiling as a two-end player. To that point, Bailey excels at scoring off-the-bounce. He’s also effective in catch-and-shoot situations. With that being said, the fact that Bailey projects to be an above-average defender means that they don’t have to turn to a less dynamic scorer just to improve at that end.
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