Pair of Top 10 Picks Log Solid Outings in Sunday Night NBA Action

The NBA season continues as rookies from the 2025 NBA Draft class continue to try to find their roles at the highest level.

Players like Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe and others have already turned in remarkable performanes, despite a few hiccups along the way, and appear to be well on their way to solid rookie seasons and NBA careers.

Others like Dylan Harper and Will Richard have been impactful role players for their teams, and could be continue to fortify their position within the lineup. On Sunday night, another pair of first-year players performed well despite their teams falling short.

Ace Bailey, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 class by the Utah Jazz, logged 19 points, 2 rebounds and an assist against the Houston Rockets. Utah was unable to secure a win, but Bailey shot 8-of-12 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc against one of the NBA's top defenses.

In the first 19 games of his NBA career, Bailey is averaging 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 46.3% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc in 21.8 minutes. Bailey has started each of the team's last 10 contests and seems to be finding a rhythm with the Jazz.

Bailey was one of the most polarizing draft prospects in recent memory after one year at Rutgets and an eventful predraft process. So far, though, the 6-foot-9 19-year-old has played well and proved to be a solid selection for a team that needed a few more exciting young prospects.

In New York, another rookie had a strong performance on Sunday evening as No. 9 overall pick Collin Murray-Boyles tallied 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in the Raptors' loss to the Knicks.

The Toronto rookie shot 5-of-6 from the field in the loss, logging more than 20 minutes on the court for the first time since Nov. 8 against Philadelphia.

Listed at 6-foot-7 and 245 pounds, the 20-year-old is averaging 6.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 51.9% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc on low volume in his first 16 NBA contests, making 4 starts along the way.

While Murray-Boyles' role with his team may not be as well-defined as Bailey's, the young wing player has shown the ability to contribute to a winning team early in his professional career.

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