Utah Jazz: Ace Bailey has Highest Upside in Young Core

The Utah Jazz have been in rebuild mode for a few years now, grabbing a host of talented up-and-coming prospects at the NBA Draft while accruing future draft selections.

While Lauri Markkanen is still the centerpiece of the roster as a former All-Star, the organization hopes any of Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski, Taylor Hendricks, Cody Williams and more will join him in stardom.

At the 2025 NBA Draft, the organization landed its best and highest-upside prospect yet in former Rutgers wing Ace Bailey. His pre-draft process didn’t necessarily go smoothly, but he’s now signed on with the Jazz for the long haul.

At 6-foot-9, Bailey was thought of to be one of the top prizes in the class even before the season started, and didn’t dissuade that notion with 17.6 points on 46% shooting, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Now, he joins the Jazz as the team’s best and highest upside young player. One that they should likely prioritize moving forward with their quasi-rebuild.

At his best, Bailey projects to be a lengthy three-level scorer on the wing, capable of filling it up, defending with instincts and athleticism, and filling in gaps with rebounding and seldom play-making. With his combination of tools and pedigree, he has far-and-away the highest potential ceiling among the Jazz' youngsters.

Still, it will take time for Bailey to reach his apex, and it could take some time for him to find positive impact in general. While Bailey's shot-making on the wing is well ahead of schedule, his defensive consistency leaves plenty to be desired. And at Rutgers, he was unable to parlay his scoring gravity into much play-making success. In order to become the best version of himself, he'll need to rapidly improve at both.

Bailey is the likely developmental focus of the Jazz moving forward. While the team has plenty of prospects worth pouring into — including draft running mate Walter Clayton Jr. — Bailey likely takes priority as the team continues to churn through its rebuild.