Ace Bailey has completed his rookie season with the Utah Jazz, and what a ride it has been. From draft-night to now, we've seen Ace grow by leaps and show more of the talent that made him too good to pass on last June.
And even with rumors that Ace might not want to play for the Jazz, they took him anyway, and quickly discovered that he was all-in on Utah from the start.
That got us thinking - how great of a rookie season was this, when compared with the best ones in Utah Jazz history?
Honorable Mentions
Deron Williams, 2005-06: 10.8 points, 2.4 boards, 4.5 assists, sixth in ROY voting, All-Rookie First Team
Trey Burke, 2013-14: 12.8 points, 3 boards, 5.7 assists, third in ROY voting, All-Rookie First Team.
Walker Kessler, 2022-23: 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, third in ROY voting, All-Rookie First Team
The Top Five Rookie seasons in Utah Jazz history
* Note: The NBA only had one All-Rookie Team prior to the 1988-89 season.
#5 - Andrei Kirilenko, 2001-02: third in Rookie of the Year voting, All-Rookie First Team
One of four Jazz picks in the 1999 NBA Draft, Kirilenko didn't come over to the NBA for two years, but when he came, he was a pleasant surprise - a Euro baller who could defend.
"AK-47" averaged 10.7 points, 4.9 boards, 1.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.9 blocks a game while starting 40 games out of 82 played as a rookie and playing 26 minutes a night. He drove Sloan crazy with his defensive gambling, but it usually paid off.
He was an important bridge between Jazz eras, which makes his rookie season even more pivotal.
#4 - Ace Bailey, 2025-26 (to be determined)
As the Jazz's highest draft pick since Dante Exum in 2014, the expectations for Ace Bailey were huge from the moment he set foot on the court in the summer league. And he didn't disappoint, averaging 13.8 points, 4.2 boards, and 1.8 assists for the season, with 61 starts in his 72 games played.
He had 23 games of 17 points or more, including several 30-plus point outings, and has put together a historic rookie season for the Utah Jazz in the process. His future is bright.
#3 - Karl Malone, 1985-86: Third in ROY voting, All-Rookie Team*
While the Mailman is the best player in Jazz franchise history that makes this list, his rookie year wasn't the best the Jazz have seen.
Averaging 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds as a rookie, while proving to be a load for opposing forwards on the block, Malone's potential was on display, and he would soon become the player that opponents feared.
As a bridge between the old and new, Malone took the scrappy Jazz into their most successful era.
#2 - Darrell Griffith, 1980-81: Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie Team*
"Dr. Dunkenstein" exploded on the scene in Utah years before the time of Stockton to Malone. Griffith could slash to the basket and score from midrange, as well as throw down fast-break dunks.
Averaging 20.6 points, 3.6 boards, 2.4 assists, and 1.3 steals a night in his debut season, Griffith was the right pick at the right time and helped take pressure off franchise star Adrian Dantley.
By the end of his prime years, the Jazz had moved from losing to winning, with his contributions a big reason why.
#1 - Donovan Mitchell, 2017-18: Runner-up in ROY voting, All-Rookie First Team
In a draft where so many guards were taken in the lottery, Mitchell stood out above them all, becoming a household name in a season where he averaged 20.5 points, 3.7 boards, and 3.7 assists, as well as 1.5 steals per game.
The Jazz franchise trajectory changed, too, in a season where pundits had projected them to fall out of the playoff picture after the loss of franchise star Gordon Hayward to Boston.
Instead, they went 48-34 (a three-game drop off from the prior year), advanced to the second round, and Donovan was the face of the franchise overnight, starting a new Jazz era with a team anchored around him, Rudy Gobert, and complemented by Jordan Clarkson, Joe Ingles, and Mike Conley, among others.
Will Ace Bailey make the All-Rookie First or Second Team?
Bailey has a good shot to make one of the teams; his late-season surge should help net him first team votes, but it would be a surprise if he was left off completely, even in a historic season for rookies - the first EIGHT picks all averaged double-figure scoring - something that hasn't happened since 1993-94.
Jazz fans already know he's one of the best rookies in franchise history, no matter what the voters ultimately decide.
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