Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Ace Bailey stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the fifth pick by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Utah Jazz's Ace Bailey May Push Cooper Flagg for Rookie of the Year

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Aug 16, 2025 11:30 AM ET

Heading into the 2025-26 NBA campaign, Rookie of the Year odds are far and above in favor of number-one overall pick, Cooper Flagg; one of the top prospects in recent memory coming out of the draft, and even on a playoff-level team like the Dallas Mavericks, almost seems like a shoo-in for the hardware at the end of the season.

But could the Utah Jazz's fifth-overall pick in Ace Bailey have a puncher's chance at those honors?

In the eyes of ESPN's Kevin Pelton, Bailey might be among the few to make that push.

Pelton recently stacked up the top Rookie of the Year contenders heading into the 2025-26 season, where Flagg would be the clear 1A in the race, but Bailey is among the three names, including Tre Johnson and Kon Knueppel, who have the best shot to dethrone him in a group labeled "the contenders".

"I would give Bailey the longest odds of this group because Utah's offense could cater to his worst instincts in terms of shot selection," Pelton wrote. "Bailey shot 37% in two games with the Jazz at the Salt Lake City Summer League. Utah coach Will Hardy will undoubtedly push Bailey toward higher-value 3-point shots, but the Jazz lost two of their best shot creators in Sexton and Jordan Clarkson and are relying on recent draft picks to replace them."

Bailey comes into a situation in Utah where a lot of opportunities on the offensive end will be available. Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and John Collins are all out of the picture to free up a ton of responsibility for the young talent on the roster.

On paper, that's a favorable outlook to be get worthwhile offensive volume in year one.

But Bailey will also be competing with a few mouths for those shot opportunities. Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier in the backcourt will be looking to take a leap themselves, Walter Clayton Jr. is entering the mix, Cody Williams and Brice Sensabaugh are eyeing more responsibility on the wing, and Lauri Markkanen is still bound to get his share of offensive looks as well.

So for a Rookie of the Year outlook for Bailey, the fifth-overall pick would have to come out of the gates hot–– getting a large share of minutes and shots drawn up from this coaching staff, quickly navigating to a starting role, and making it clear that he's one of the top two or three scoring options on this roster as the versatile offensive generator he was drafted to be.

To make such a mark on this Jazz team would be impressive, especially for a 19-year-old. Flagg is clearly the cream of the crop in this race so far, but if a few things fall in Bailey's favor, it's not unreasonable to think he could make his own respective push.