Ace Bailey Drafted by Jazz, Surprises NBA Fans amid Nets, Wizards Rumors

One of the best freshmen in all of college basketball last season heard his name called at the NBA draft on Wednesday.

Ace Bailey, a star forward out of Rutgers, was selected by the Utah Jazz with the No. 5 pick in the draft.

There was plenty of speculation that Bailey would end up sliding in the draft, but that proved not to be the case, and fans were surprised to see him land in the top five.

Bailey, the No. 2 player in the class of 2024, per 247Sports, teamed up with fellow freshman star Dylan Harper at Rutgers last season and made it immediately apparent that he was NBA-ready.

The 6'10" forward put up 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, showing off his scoring ability with a 39-point outing against Indiana and a 37-point night against Northwestern.

A terrific season with the Scarlet Knights had many projecting Bailey to land inside the top three, but his pre-draft process reportedly "perplexed" teams, and it led to speculation about where he would land. He also cancelled a visit with the Philadelphia 76ers just two days before it was scheduled.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony said that Bailey's preferred landing spots were the Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans or Brooklyn Nets.

"This is a bit of a stunner, but if you think about it, this is an outstanding place for Ace Bailey," Givony said during ESPN's broadcast of the draft. "They have a wide open wing situation, they have a huge need for a star, an outstanding coaching staff. I think Ace Bailey is going to recover from this very quickly and realize he landed in an outstanding situation with the Utah Jazz.

"It just shows you, there's only so much an agent can control in this process. If an NBA team decides they're going to take Ace Bailey, that's exactly what will happen."

Givony also reported that the Jazz do not plan to trade Bailey.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected Bailey to be drafted by the Washington Wizards with the sixth pick.

Even if the Jazz weren't his team of choice, Bailey will look to make the most of his rookie year and set the foundation for what could be a tremendous career.