The Utah Jazz will be hoping for Ace Bailey to lead them into the future. They took a risk selecting him with the No. 5 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, especially considering the fact that he reportedly didn’t want to be a part of the Jazz organization. Will Hardy knows what his first step should be:
“For Ace, first and foremost, it’s going to be about building a routine,” Hardy told Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. “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 has a tall task in front of him.
What can Andy Bailey do to lead the Jazz?
There’s no doubt that Bailey is an extremely talented basketball player. He was widely expected to be a Top 3 pick in this year’s draft before falling down (ever so slightly) boards because of statements put out into the world by him and his agent.
Now, he’s a part of a blossoming young core in Utah. Guys like Keyonte George, Brice Sensabaugh, Kyle Filipowski, Isaiah Collier, Cody Williams, Taylor Hendricks, and Walter Clayton Jr.
Among them all, Bailey may have the most upside. His talent as a pure scorer is among the best in this year’s draft class, and if he reaches his full potential, he could be one of the best bucket-getters in the NBA.
Utah has been in a rebuild since it traded Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert a few years back. Lauri Markkanen has been the star of the show, and they have worked hard to find solid young pieces. But Bailey sits atop the list.
Not only may he have the most potential of the bunch, but he’s also their highest draft pick. They have quite literally invested more into getting Bailey than any other player they’ve drafted. And he didn’t even want to be there. It was a huge risk.
Making sure Bailey has the best possible chance to reach his full potential should be priority No. 1 for the Jazz from here on out. Obviously, they can’t hurt the development of other guys to get him there, but they need to help him in whatever way they can.
Hardy knows that, the front office knows that, and the entire organization does as well.