The Utah Jazz made one of the biggest splashes of the 2025 NBA Draft, taking Rutgers forward Ace Bailey with the No. 5 pick on Wednesday night.
As a high-ceiling player, Bailey could fit into the Jazz's young core as an immediate impact-maker and volume scorer, or perhaps a valuable 3-and-D player. Either way, his talents on the court aren't necessarily the issue. It's the way the Rutgers freshman went about his pre-draft process.
Bailey notably declined to work out for any NBA teams this year, even cancelling an already planned workout with the Philadelphia 76ers. His bizarre and polarizing pre-draft actions have nonetheless elicited support from—rather randomly—the Utah governor, and clearly didn't put off the Jazz from taking the top prospect in the first round.
Shortly after Bailey was drafted, Jazz co-owner Dwyane Wade weighed in on his organization's selection:
"When you can get a player as talented as ACE with the 5th pick you don't over think it, you do it! Good job @utahjazz," Wade wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
When you can get a player as talented as ACE with the 5th pick you don’t over think it, you do it! Good job @utahjazz
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) June 26, 2025
Bailey entered the draft as a widely projected top-five pick, coming off one of the best individual seasons in Rutgers history in which he averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 45.8% from the field in the Big Ten.
Whether his instinctual scoring talents will translate to the NBA remains to be seen, but it does look like Utah hopes to include Bailey in the franchise's long-term plans.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jazz Co-Owner Dwyane Wade Makes Strong Statement on No. 5 Pick Ace Bailey.
