{"id":146912,"date":"2025-06-25T21:34:19","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T01:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=146912"},"modified":"2025-06-25T21:41:01","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T01:41:01","slug":"2025-nba-draft-jazz-ace-bailey-5th-overall-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/06\/25\/2025-nba-draft-jazz-ace-bailey-5th-overall-pick\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 NBA Draft: Jazz Send Shock Waves With 5th Overall Pick"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2025 NBA Draft had only had one surprise early on.<\/p>\n

The Dallas Mavericks kicked off the night<\/a> by taking Duke forward Cooper Flagg<\/a> with the first pick. As expected, the San Antonio Spurs then took Rutgers guard Dylan Harper<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Rutgers forward Ace Bailey<\/a>, 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<\/a> to the Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards or Brooklyn Nets. As a result, Philly pivoted to VJ Edgecombe<\/a>. The Hornets picked right after the Sixers but instead of selecting Bailey, they selected Flagg’s teammate, Kon Knueppel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jazz Send Shock Waves With 2025 No. 5 Pick<\/h2>\n

Then came the Utah Jazz.<\/p>\n

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Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Ace Bailey stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the fifth pick by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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Ace Bailey is selected 5th overall by the @utahjazz<\/a> in the 2025 #NBADraft<\/a> presented by State Farm!<\/p>\n

Watch on ABC & ESPN. pic.twitter.com\/a9D3KKq1Fk<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NBA (@NBA) June 26, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n