Rutgers Basketball wing Ace Bailey has been selected by the Utah Jazz with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The Chattanooga, Tennessee native becomes the second Scarlet Knight to be selected in the 2025 NBA Draft, joining Dylan Harper who went No. 2 overall to the San Antonio Spurs.
With Bailey being selected, this becomes the first time that the Scarlet Knights had two players selected in the same draft since John Battle and Chris Remly were selected in the 1985 NBA Draft.
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The 6-foot-7, 202-pounder forward finished the year earning several honors, such as All-Big Ten Third Team (Media), All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (Coaches), All-Big Ten Freshman Team.
On the year, Bailey played in 29 games while averaging 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game on 46.0% shooting from the field and 34.6% from three.
Bailey had some ups and downs throughout the year, but he did have 10 games this season where he went for 20+ points, three of which he scored 30+ points. The most impressive of those performances took place against Indiana, where he scored 39 points to go along with eight rebounds, four blocks, and one steal while shooting 16-of-29 (55.2%) from the floor and 4-of-8 (50.0%) from three.
Despite not making the tournament, Bailey was still able to showcase his unqiue skillset on the hardwood and goes does as one of only two five-star prospects to join the Scarlet Knights, with the other being fellow NBA Draft Pick Dylan Harper.
Following the 2024-25 season, Bailey earned an invite to the 2025 NBA Combine, where he recorded the following measurements....
HEIGHT (W/O SHOES): 6-foot 7 1/2-inches
WEIGHT: 202.8-pounds
HAND LENGTH: 8.50-inches
HAND WIDTH: 9.0-inches
STANDING REACH: 8-foot, 11-inches
WINGSPAN: 7-foot, 0.5-inches
"Strengths: Bailey is a dynamic shotmaker with great size. He can score from all over the floor, and he puts points on the board in bunches when he finds an offensive rhythm. He also brings a high level of intensity defensively while making an impact in transition with his strong physical tools.
Weaknesses: His tendency to lean on tough shots has hurt his efficiency this season, as his decision-making, ballhandling ability, passing and off-ball defense are still in the early stages of development
The verdict: No player in this draft can score like Bailey can when he is firing on all cylinders, and his combination of scoring instincts and explosiveness is hard to come by. Bailey, 18, has some rough edges to smooth out on both ends but has significant upside. He began to show the ability to impact games beyond scoring late in the season." -- ESPN NBA DRAFT ANALYST JONATHAN GIVONY
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