Ace Bailey is the name that has made many headlines since finishing the NCAA season with Rutgers.
He performed brilliantly in college, averaged over 17 points in the game and proved to be one of the best scorers in the 2025 draft class.
In the ESPN Mock draft, he was third overall for the Philadelphia 76ers, but now he has the Utah Jazz, who had the fifth pick, slipped some positions.
Philadelphia looked closely at him and invited Ace Bailey to join for the movement, but he canceled it and forced him to move to another team.
Teams like Brooklynnet, Washington Wizard and New Orleans Pelican were expected to be drafted if he fell low that day, but the Jazz decided to choose Bailey despite clearly not wanting to be in the franchise.
ESPN Insider expressed his thoughts on the situation and elicited this comparison with Steph Curry’s draft process and Warriors.
Curry was drafted by the Golden State Warriors as the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.
But even his father, Del Curry and the 3-point king himself wanted to go to the New York Knicks, where he had his eighth pick in the draft.
They even denied training with the Warriors, but the franchise ended up drafting him, and the rest is history.
Spears compared the curry situation to Bailey. Bailey didn’t want to be chosen for jazz.
He tweeted.
“Stef also did not exercise for the warriors.
Spears added to this by saying:
Ace Bailey’s current game doesn’t resemble Curry, but he has a better reputation from college than the four-time NBA champion.
His ability to score at all levels helped him compare with some elite players. So the team was ready to give up the player for him.
At a Draft Day press conference, Bailey said he focused on playing basketball and let the team make other decisions.
| season | point | rebound | block | Field goal percentage | 3 points% |
| 2024-25 | 17.6 | 7.2 | 1.3 | 46% | 36% |
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, Bailey may not be ready to be with the Jazz, but the rookie has no choice.
He plays for a young team coached by talented Will Hardy. Will Hardy did an incredible job with the players they had at their disposal.
The team is expected to move some of the star players, including Colin Sexton and John Collins.
He is already becoming one of the most talked about rookies. So when the season gives hints in October, all eyes turn to him.