When it comes to the winners and losers following the 2025 NBA Draft, some may well consider the fact that Ace Bailey ended up joining the Utah Jazz as something of a failure on the part of the Rutgers graduate, on account of his pre-draft approach, which included declining a prior invitation from the Salt Lake City franchise, but the 18-year-old insists he is happy where his initial NBA road has taken him.
Bailey was a much sought-after commodity in the Draft, but many did not take too well to his pre-draft process. Indeed, many may well believe that he was not too keen on ending up at the Delta Center, though he insists that is not the case.
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Bailey, who was the fifth overall pick, had apparently not only turned down an invite from Utah but had also done likewise to the Charlotte Hornets while also canceling a scheduled workout with the Philadelphia 76ers, moves that some may have felt were an error of judgment.
When responding to questions as to whether he had considered turning down Utah, Bailey replied.
“Just blessed to be in the position I am,” and he then went on to discuss what he believes he has to offer Hardy and the Jazz.
“I got great energy,”
“I can do everything from rebounding to defense to scoring to passing. So I can say I can bring it a lot in different ways.”
“I trust my work,”
“I [put in] countless hours in the gym with everything that I do. So I trust it. Everybody makes mistakes. God didn’t put us here to be perfect. So I just trust myself and just trust my process.” Bailey added.
Utah Jazz president Austin Ainge has been emphatic in his praise for Bailey, commenting.
“He’s great,”
“We were able to speak with him. He was super excited. We’re super excited. We’re expecting a very bright future.”
On apparent concerns about his attitude, Ainge added.
“We do a lot of background calls and work on guys.”
“Everyone loves being around Ace.”
Bailey impressed at Rutgers and was a player that many teams had their eye on, and it’s clear that the Jazz were willing to overlook talk of temperament and attitude issues and just considered his obvious talent as more than enough reason to welcome him to Utah, where he is sure to make an impact.
Next season will be Hardy’s fourth season in charge of the Jazz, and things have not yet worked out all that well for the 37-year-old. He has suffered three successive losing seasons, which came off the back of two playoff runs in the campaigns prior to his arrival, so one imagines there will be a lot of pressure on the young head coach to deliver the goods this time around.
