While Utah Jazz fans are rejoicing over the Ace Bailey pick, some are questioning whether he was the right choice because of his antics before the draft (refusing to work out for teams). Well, after the Jazz took him, Bailey explained himself while sending a fantastic message that should further justify why the Jazz picked him.
While talking with The Salt Lake Tribune's Andy Larsen, Bailey confronted the elephant in the room.
Ace Bailey, on why he didn't work out for the Jazz or any other teams: "I haven't been worried about that. I've just been focusing on basketball. That's the main thing. That's why I'm here, s just to play the basketball side. I let my family and stuff deal with other stuff. "
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) June 26, 2025
When Bailey was asked about what he brings to the Jazz, his answer should make fans feel even more comfortable and confident in the newest Jazzman.
Ace Bailey on what he brings to the Jazz: "A leader, confidence. Hard worker. Just a player that pushes people to be the best. A very great teammate ... I'm the person that's going to push everybody to be the best they can be, even the coaches."
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) June 26, 2025
Talk is talk, but Bailey deserves the benefit of the doubt. His bringing those intangibles could also take the Jazz a long way in their rebuild. For all of the question marks he has to his game, bringing a culture of winning through his leadership abilities on top of his talent could also give Utah exactly what they need.
This is exactly what Utah needs to hear because there was plenty of ambiguity regarding which prospect they were going to choose, so by choosing Bailey, they not only picked the one with the highest potential ceiling out of those that were available, but they also picked someone wants to show off more than just how talented he is.
Jazz fans are understandably thrilled about Bailey; his words should only add to their ecstasy. However, no matter how uplifting this message from Bailey is, talk is talk.
Bailey must let his game do the talking from here
Some players have put their money where their mouth is in the past, but that doesn't mean every single one of them has. Some players have said the right things, much like Bailey, only to come up short badly.
Bailey is definitely saying all the right things right out of the gate, and that is a good thing. Fans should be happy to have a guy with the utmost confidence over a player with very little confidence, as the right mindset can take them a long way. It's not a guarantee, though, that said confidence will translate on the court.
If he does both as a player and a leader, suddenly, Utah's future looks much brighter than it did yesterday. For now, all of this will be hypothetical in the coming months. Fans should be hyped for the next few months about the potential franchise player the Jazz just got. It won't be too long, though, before Bailey gets the chance to not necessarily live up to his billing but add to his hype.
The Jazz will get their first taste of Bailey's abilities when the Summer League starts not too long from now. Those performances count for very little, but if Bailey has a Donovan Mitchell-like experience, the hype train will keep on turning!