When the Utah Jazz were awarded the No. 5 pick, they may not have gotten the desired outcome they wanted from the lottery. However, they were still given the chance to get a potential franchise-changing player. They definitely took a massive risk by picking Bailey, but he was a risk worth taking.
The red flags with Bailey are apparent. It's why he was there at No. 5 despite at times being put in the same breath as his Rutgers teammate Dylan Harper. While the scoring juice is there, there are plenty of questions about his all-around game. Will he come around as a playmaker? As a defender? Does he have the drive to reach his potential?
All of those questions are valid, but it goes without question that Bailey's talent was worth it. It's not even just about him, but more about the Jazz's roster construction. As it stands, Utah has some solid young players, but none that scream "franchise player in the making." No one on the roster who could be the face of the franchise.
It's not a guarantee that Bailey can be that guy, but of all the players that were available, his projected ceiling was higher than everyone else's, making him the unquestionable best choice. There's no telling if Utah was right to flip that coin on Bailey, but it's better to take that leap of faith on a potential star than take the safe bet.
Bailey also fills a big positional need for Utah
Utah has a roster that fields plenty of solid players. Most of their young promise stems from their young guards and young bigs, and even they have their question marks. The real hole is at the wing.
The Jazz have tried to throw Lauri Markkanen and Johnny Juzang at this problem for the past season, but it's clear that they are not the long-term solution for a team that would have playoff aspirations. They could have tried to fill this need with a 3&D wing if they wanted, but because a guard or a wing would create a logjam, Bailey fits the description as a starting wing they truly needed.
And that's at the very least. Bailey should be Utah's projected starting forward when the 2025-26 season starts, unless he proves to be raw like Cody Williams was. Before Jazz fans shudder, Bailey has a much higher ceiling and is much less raw compared to Williams when he came into the league last season.
Yes, this pick has pros and cons. While the cons are concerning, the pros are promising enough that this will likely go down as one of the least questioned picks in recent memory for the Jazz franchise.