Jazz F Ace Bailey Faces Uphill Climb in Rookie of the Year Race

Heading into the 2025-26 NBA regular season, most eyes were on Dallas Mavericks' top pick Cooper Flagg to be the far-and-away favorite to take home this year's Rookie of the Year award, and among the few dark horses lingering in the background, had Utah Jazz fifth-overall pick Ace Bailey as a eye-catching candidate to watch.

Now, just over a month into the NBA season, the landscape for those Rookie of the Year odds have since seen a notable shift.

Ace Bailey Falling in Rookie of the Year Odds

According to the latest odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, Charlotte Hornets' wing Kon Knueppel has soared his way to being the favorite for the award after a hot start to the season (+110), Flagg has fallen to a 1A choice (+120),.

As for Ace Bailey, though, he's sunk outside of the top-five–– dropping to be tied with the seventh-best odds with his former college teammate Dylan Harper, each having some steep chances (+15,000).

For Bailey, he's begun to get his feet under him after a slow couple of weeks to start the year, and has found his groove on both ends of the floor since being elevated to the starting five.

In his seven games as a starter, Bailey has averaged 13.4 points a night on an efficient 53.1% clip from the field, paired with 3.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.4 steals in just under 25 minutes per game.

However, those longshot odds aren't really a knock on what Bailey has or hasn't shown. It's more so attributed to the impressive rookie campaigns that those around him have showcased and have done so for since the start of the season back in October.

Nov 23, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) drives against Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Knueppel has been a seamless fit on the wing next to LaMelo Ball despite the Hornets' struggles, averaging nearly 20 points per game. Flagg, while not quite polished offensively, has still remained versatile as advertised on both ends of the floor. Others also ahead of Bailey in those odds, like Derik Queen and VJ Edgecombe (+1000), have also had their respective flashes.

Bailey certainly has a ton of time to make up that ground with over three-fourths of the regular season slate to go on the horizon. But to do so, it'll rely on continuing to find his place as a focal point for the Jazz offensively, keep working as a positive contributor on the glass, and utilize his length and athleticism on defense to truly cement himself as one of the best first-year talents in this rookie class.

It remains to be seen if Bailey will be able to poke his head into those top rookie discussions as the year progresses. But even if left without the hardware to add into his trophy case, the initial sample size he's already inspired a ton of confidence for what his future in the league holds.

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