Inside The Jazz

Ace Bailey Reveals What He Brings to Utah Jazz

The fifth-overall pick in the NBA Draft sounds off on what he brings to the table with the Utah Jazz.
Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Ace Bailey arrives before the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Ace Bailey arrives before the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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The Utah Jazz made their long-awaited decision at pick five in the 2025 NBA Draft, taking a swing on Rutgers' wing Ace Bailey, one of the best talents in this year's class, along with one of the most highly talked about guys leading up to Wednesday night's first round.

However, after weeks of pre-draft buzz with Bailey, he now finds his way to the Jazz, and is seemingly confident about what he'll be bringing to his newest home in Utah.

Following his pick to Jazz at fifth-overall, Bailey spoke with the media where he was asked about what he brings to his new team in Utah.

"A leader, confidence. Hard worker," Bailey said, per The Salt Lake Tribune's Andy Larsen. "Just a player that pushes people to be the best. A very great teammate ... I'm the person that's going to push everybody to be the best they can be, even the coaches."

Clearly, Bailey prides himself on being a huge boost in the locker room and being the best teammate he can be– something his Rutgers' teammate and fellow draftee Dylan Harper expressed leading up to the draft as well.

And outside of his off-the-court presence, Bailey certainly has his respective appeal on the floor that's led him to being a top-five pick off the board. During his one year with Rutgers, the 6-foot-9 wing posted 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists a night while shooting 46.0% from the field and 34.6% from three in 30 games played.

He's one of the best talents in this class with some of the best potential and offensive upside available, and looks to be a major piece of this Jazz rebuild moving forward, while also finally having a chance to put the extensive pre-draft discussions around any and all workouts and preferred landing spots to bed.

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Jared Koch
JARED KOCH

Jared Koch is the deputy editor of Utah Jazz On SI. He's covered the NBA and NFL for the past two years, contributing to Denver Broncos On SI, Indianapolis Colts On SI, and Sacramento Kings On SI. He has covered multiple NBA and NFL events on site, and his works have also appeared on Bleacher Report, MSN, and Yahoo.

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