With the fifth and 18th picks in the NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz selected two of the top prospects in the 2025 class, Ace Bailey and Walter Clayton Jr.
With the fifth pick, Utah now has the 6-foot-7 Rutgers forward Ace Bailey, who averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. Bailey is known for his upside on offense and defense. Bailey’s jumper is smooth for someone of his height, especially in the mid-range area. Bailey can also hold his own in the three-point range, shooting a whopping 34.6%. On the defensive side, there is potential. With Bailey averaging at least a steal and a block per game, he should have no problem translating this into the league with his size and arm length. Overall, Bailey’s physique, mobility, and scoring potential are top prospect qualities.
When drafted, Bailey had some critiques for himself as a player,
“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. I mean, from jump shots to more creativity, to more ball-handling, just all over the place.”
Bailey had stirred some controversy in his draft process. Sources stated that his camp had cancelled many workouts with the first few NBA teams in the draft, including Utah. Although this was stated, Bailey still claims to be excited for Utah and essentially a dream come true for him and his family. Many claim this may have led to him being drafted this late, as he was projected to be a high pick in this draft. Many also believe that the Jazz could have “promised” Bailey a spot in a draft, thus leading to a workout. Neither of these claims is confirmed or denied.
Bailey brings a lot of star potential to this Jazz team. The Jazz have still been trying to establish an identity ever since trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, which now has the chance to become the main guy that he has stated previously. At 18, Bailey has a lot of room to grow as a player and a teammate and can mesh well in the lineup. Utah does have a definite forward as of now in Lauri Markkanen. However, it is uncertain who will stay and leave the lineup as of now, with many trade rumors across the league. No matter what, with Bailey’s skill set, as long as he has a great attitude, he should excel on this roster and shine on this team.
Later in the first round, the Jazz selected Walter Clayton Jr, a 6-foot-3 guard from Florida with the 21st pick. Clayton, who was part of the NCAA championship Florida team, was a key player on the team, averaging 18.3 points and 4 assists per game this season. Clayton, although a small guard, brings a shooting touch, averaging 38.6% from three, and brings energy and hustle that the Jazz can utilize. The Jazz now have several guards on the team and lots of learning potential for Clayton.
Utah has a great young core, including Ace Bailey, Walter Clayton, Keyonte George, Isiah Collier, Walker Kessler, Taylor Hendricks, and Cody Williams. Utah is hopeful they can stop their tanking attempts and become contenders soon with this squad and other high-level players like Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, and Collin Sexton.
As Utah hopes to end its several-year-long rebuild, they are putting a lot into this young core for the hopes of a good team that can compete at a high level once again.
l.skinner@dailyutahchronicle.com
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