After plenty of speculation and concern, Ace Bailey is officially off the board.
The Utah Jazz selected Bailey with the No. 5 overall pick in the NBA Draft on Wednesday night, which ended the idea of the former Rutgers star experiencing a significant slide in the draft before it could really begin. While he wasn’t the No. 3 overall pick like many thought he was going to be — the Philadelphia 76ers selected Baylor star VJ Edgecombe there instead — Bailey is still entering the league as a lottery pick and in a very solid position.
Bailey had long been considered a top prospect in this year’s draft, and he shined at Rutgers. He’s a dominant shot-maker who averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season with the Scarlet Knights. He earned all Big Ten honors, too, though the season was largely disappointing as a whole in New Jersey. After starting the season ranked nationally, the Scarlet Knights went just 15-17 and missed the NCAA tournament for a third straight year.
Though he’s only 18 and a bit inconsistent still, Bailey has the makings of a true star in the league if he’s put in the right position. He’ll now get to join a Jazz team that went just 17-65 and missed the playoffs for a third straight campaign last season.
What happened with Ace Bailey before the draft?
Bailey looked like he was going to be a lock as the No. 3 pick in the draft at the end of the college season. But in the days and weeks leading up to the draft, Bailey started sliding hard on draft boards. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor had him going No. 6 overall to the Washington Wizards in his final mock draft, for example.
Bailey opted not to hold any individual workouts with teams before the draft, which is an unusual choice. Even Duke star Cooper Flagg, who has long been a lock to go No. 1 overall, met with the Dallas Mavericks ahead of time. Bailey even canceled a scheduled visit with the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this month, and reportedly declined multiple invitations from teams picking between No. 3 and No. 8 in the draft. Bailey was the only U.S.-based prospect who didn’t meet with a single team outside of the combine.
Because of that, it’s been tough to tell what Bailey actually wants. His camp has reportedly told teams that he believes he’s a top-three player in the draft, and he wanted to land somewhere where he can play and make an impact right away.
But without meetings or workouts ahead of time, it’s easy to understand why teams wouldn’t want to select Bailey. They don’t necessarily know what they’d be getting with him, which adds unnecessary risk.
Clearly, though, the Jazz didn’t feel that way.