The Utah Jazz have selected Ace Bailey. Ace Bailey was born in Tennessee and attended Boyd-Buchanan for one season before transferring to McEachern in Georgia. He was named Mr. Georgia Basketball in 2024 and also earned McDonald’s All-American, Nike Hoop Summit, and Jordan Brand Classic honors. The consensus five-star recruit picked Rutgers, joining Dylan Harper, over Kentucky, Kansas, Oregon and Texas.
Ace Bailey Fit and Stats
In his lone collegiate season, Bailey averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.0 steals in 33.4 minutes per game. He posted 46/35/69 shooting splits on 14.7 field-goal attempts, 4.5 3-point tries, and 3.6 free-throw attempts per game. He earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors and was named Third-Team All-Big Ten.
Ace Bailey comparisons include Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay, and Michael Porter Jr. Some of his strengths are pull-up shooting, a soft touch, athleticism, and versatility. Bailey is an elite shooter from anywhere on the court and used his size to get his shot off whenever he wanted in college. He’s excellent as a spot-up shooter and will attack poor closeouts, but he settles for mid-range jumpers instead of getting to the rim. He’s better at attacking the rim in transition than in half-court settings. Bailey put up strong defensive production in college and has the length to be elite on that end of the court as a pro, but he needs to get stronger to make that happen. He’s also a much better offensive rebounder than a defensive one, which will need to change as a pro.
Final Thoughts
Ace Bailey will fit with Utah as their blue-chip pick. The Jazz has been looking for a player to build around since trading Donovan Mitchell. Bailey could become that player. The Jazz had the youngest roster in the NBA last season, and growth and maturity are major things needed.
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