Mar 9, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) walks off the court after defeating the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Can Ace Bailey Become the Next Face of the Utah Jazz?

Originally posted on NBA Draft on SI | By Killian Wright | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 7:02 PM ET

The Utah Jazz have been stuck in the bottom of the NBA's standings for the last three seasons, and haven't shown signs of leaving it any time soon. After finishing 2024-2025 with a league-worst 17-65 record, the Jazz hit a mini-reset button, parting ways with veterans Collin Sexton, John Collins and Jordan Clarkson in exchange for salary fillers and minimal draft capital.

It's now clear that the Jazz have full intent to hand the keys to their No. 5 overall pick –– Ace Bailey –– letting him take the strides to become the face of the franchise. Speaking of the face of the franchise, when's the last time the Jazz have definitively had one?

The strongest case is for Donovan Mitchell, who unexpectedly took the reigns as the face of the franchise in his rookie season. The Jazz had just lost then first-time All-Star Gordon Hayward in free agency, and had a major scoring void to fill.

Mitchell was 2017's No. 13 overall pick, and stepped in as the leading scorer for the Jazz in his rookie season, averaging 20.5 points per game while keeping the Jazz in the playoff picture. Over his career in Utah, Mitchell led the Jazz to five consecutive playoff appearances, and earned an All-Star nod in each of his final three seasons. However, after never reaching the Conference Finals, Mitchell requested a trade and was shipped to Cleveland in exchange for a package revolving Sexton and Lauri Markkanen.

An argument can be made for Markkanen, who's still with the team, but peaked in the 2022-2023 season –– his first in Utah. He made an All-Star game that was hosted in Salt Lake City while averaging a career best 25.6 points per game on 64 percent true shooting. Since that season, however, he's noticably declined –– averaging 19 points per game 57.1 percent true shooting in 2024-2025.

Now, all eyes are on Bailey to step in as a beacon of hope for Utah, and to become the next great Jazzman. He was regarded as one of the top scorers in the 2025 NBA Draft class, and considered by many to be a steal for the Jazz at No. 5 overall.

At Rutgers, Bailey averaged 17.6 points per game on 46 / 34.6 / 69.2 shooting splits as a true freshman, and has the full ability to put up similar numbers during his rookie campaign in Utah. There's a massive opening for shot attempts in the absence of the aforementioned veterans, and who better to take some of those than Bailey?

Ever since Mitchell's departure, the Jazz have been in search of another top-tier scorer to bring the team back to the playoffs, and the pieces have been put in place for Bailey to

This article first appeared on NBA Draft on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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