The Utah Jazz, through a wild draft process and leadup to their number five pick in this year’s NBA Draft, were able to get their hands on Rutgers’ wing Ace Bailey, a name who was among the top prospects in the class leading up to his selection.
Now in the months following Utah’s pick of Bailey, general managers are already seeing him as one of the biggest steals on the draft board.
During the NBA’s annual GM survey that asks a variety of questions of topics around the league before the season kicks off, one of those questions asked: “Which rookie was the biggest steal at where he was selected in the Draft?”
Bailey didn’t land at the top spot, but was tied for second.
Here’s the full top-six from the survey:
1. Kasparas Jakučionis (20), Miami – 17%
T-2. Ace Bailey (5), Utah – 10%
T-2. Carter Bryant (14), San Antonio – 10%
T-4. Joan Beringer (17), Minnesota – 7%
T-4. Liam McNeeley (29), Charlotte – 7%
T-4. Asa Newell (23), Atlanta – 7%
Among the other rookies that also got at least one vote their way, Jazz 18th-overall pick Walter Clayton Jr. also got some love as the biggest steal.
But Bailey was the one who got some significant attention his way. While not quite as high as the Miami Heat’s Kasparas Jakučionis, for a top-five pick to be considered a “steal” shows just how the league feels about the 19-year-old wing: he’s one of the best talents in this year’s class, and if not for the pre-draft commotion, he might’ve been a top-five pick.
However, in the end, it worked out in the Jazz’s favor. They weren’t concerned with the noise, got their guy at five, and now have a core centerpiece to build around for years to come.
Better yet, Bailey’s representation, led by manager Omar Cooper, who appeared to be the nucleus of canceling pre-draft workouts and preferred draft destinations, would part ways with the Jazz rookie before training camp kicked off; a potential red flag for teams who inevitably spent less than four months with Bailey after being drafted, and now makes Utah’s decision to negate that pre-draft noise even wiser in retrospect.
Now, the sky’s the limit for Bailey in Utah with a strong development staff and a young core to surround him, and a landscape that he can emerge into a true star as in due time.
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