Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy gave his first public comments on rookie forward Ace Bailey, offering a clear look at how the team plans to use its No. 5 overall pick.
Speaking at a clinic for local coaches, Hardy told The Salt Lake Tribune that Bailey will need to focus on off-ball movement and defensive effort while his body develops.
“On the court, offensively, it’s going to be a little bit of playing without the ball, moving around,” Hardy said. “I think Ace showed he was really active in summer league. He’s a good cutter. He can play in off-ball screens.”
Defensively, Hardy emphasized Bailey’s length as a strength, noting it will help him adjust to the speed of the NBA game. “While his body is continuing to get stronger, it’s going to be about using his length, because I think that is a real strength of his right now,” Hardy said. “I think that’s how he can survive on the defensive end right now.”
Hardy also pointed to the importance of building consistency. “For Ace, first and foremost, it’s going to be about building a routine,” he said. “The NBA is a lot. The number of appearances is far more than he used to. That’s practice, shootaround, games, but it’s going to be about sort of him finding his routine, because I think the routine saves you during the season, you don’t have to think that much.”
Bailey enters the league with high expectations after averaging 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds at Rutgers. His ability to score at multiple levels and defend across positions made him one of the most coveted prospects in the 2025 draft.
The Jazz front office has pushed back on speculation that Bailey was hesitant to join the franchise. A team executive told Keith Smith of Spotrac that rumors surrounding his pre-draft interviews were “nonsense,” adding that both sides are excited about the partnership.
[td_flex_block_1 category_id="" custom_title="MORE FOR YOU" header_color="#e91e63" td_filter_default_txt="" tag_slug="" sort="random_7_day" tdc_css="eyJhbGwiOnsibWFyZ2luLXJpZ2h0IjoiMjUiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMjUiLCJtYXJnaW4tbGVmdCI6IjI1IiwicGFkZGluZy10b3AiOiIxMSIsInBhZGRpbmctcmlnaHQiOiIyNSIsInBhZGRpbmctYm90dG9tIjoiMTEiLCJwYWRkaW5nLWxlZnQiOiIyNSIsImJhY2tncm91bmQtY29sb3IiOiIjZjNmNGY2IiwiZGlzcGxheSI6IiIsIi0tdGRiLXNjcm9sbC1hbmltIjoibm9uZSJ9LCJwaG9uZSI6eyJtYXJnaW4tcmlnaHQiOiIwIiwibWFyZ2luLWxlZnQiOiIwIiwicGFkZGluZy1yaWdodCI6IjE1IiwicGFkZGluZy1sZWZ0IjoiMTUiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sInBob25lX21heF93aWR0aCI6NzY3fQ==" mx3f_title_font_transform="" mx3f_title_font_weight="700" title_tag="h3" all_modules_space="0" video_popup="" image_size="td_218x150" image_height="65" image_floated="eyJwaG9uZSI6ImZsb2F0X2xlZnQifQ==" autoplay_vid="" show_vid_t="none" modules_category="image" modules_category_margin="eyJhbGwiOiI1cHgiLCJwaG9uZSI6IjVweCJ9" modules_extra_cat="hide" show_author="none" show_date="none" show_com="none" show_review="none" show_excerpt="none" show_audio="none" show_btn="none" f_title_font_size="15" f_title_font_line_height="1.25" f_title_font_weight="600" f_title_font_spacing="-0.2" cat_bg="#e16e00" modules_divider="solid" category_ids="-4430,-5489,-11" show_cat="" modules_on_row="eyJhbGwiOiIzMy4zMzMzMzMzMyUiLCJwaG9uZSI6IjEwMCUifQ==" limit="3" meta_info_align="" modules_divider_color="#333333" image_width="eyJhbGwiOiIxMDAiLCJwaG9uZSI6IjQwIn0=" meta_info_border_color="" modules_border_color="" modules_gap="15" m_padding="eyJwaG9uZSI6IjE1cHggMHB4IDE1cHggMHB4In0=" art_title="eyJwaG9uZSI6IjBweCAwcHggMHB4IDE1cHgifQ==" video_icon="eyJwaG9uZSI6IjIwIn0=" f_cat_font_size="eyJwaG9uZSI6IjgifQ=="]Utah also added Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. during the draft. The NCAA champion has already drawn praise from team officials for his leadership qualities, with the expectation that he will contribute immediately in training camp.
Bailey and Clayton headline a summer of roster changes that also brought in veterans Kyle Anderson, Kevin Love, and Jusuf Nurkic. The mix of young talent and experienced players reflects Utah’s plan to balance development with competitiveness.
