NBA
AB
#19

Ace Bailey

Forward · Utah Jazz · 6'9", 200 lb · Born Aug 13, 2006 · Chattanooga, Tennessee · Drafted 5th overall, 2025
No. 5 pick (2025)Scoring wingAll-RookieRutgers
NBAUtah JazzForwards
Compare:vs Sensabaughvs Colliervs Jr.vs Nurkicvs Georgevs Filipowski
In short

Ace Bailey is a 6-foot-9 scoring wing for the Utah Jazz and the No. 5 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. A former McDonald's All-American from the Chattanooga area, he starred one season at Rutgers and was one of the most highly-touted scoring prospects in his class. As a 19-year-old rookie he became the youngest player in Jazz history to reach 500 career points, a foundational young piece for the rebuild.

Matchup model · next gameMedium confidenceFri, Nov 13
vsWashington WizardsAggressive hedge & help
Proj. points
13.8
range 11.1–16.5
Line 14
47%
to go over
Team win
62%
114–112
Poi 13.8 Lean underReb 4.2 Lean overAss 1.8 Lean underPRA 19.8 Lean under
Likely on himBilal Coulibaly· 82 Perimeter DStrong defender
10+ pts90%15+ pts34%

Model lines Bailey at 13.8 pts (range 11.1–16.5) vs a 14 line — roughly a coin flip to clear it (47%).

Biggest edge: venue — home floor — small boost.

Full matchup breakdown · all markets →
Balladex Matchup Model — modeled from real roster ratings, scoring baselines & defender-matchup history. Schedule, availability & head-to-head samples are illustrative in this prototype; production wires live schedule, injury & player-tracking feeds. Not betting advice.
✦ Ask anything about Bailey
The Bailey Story — narrated
Tap play to hear his story, told as a 90-second short.
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A 6-foot-9 scoring wing and No. 5 pick — an elite prospect and foundational piece for the Jazz.

A McDonald's All-American from Chattanooga, Bailey averaged 17.6 a game at Rutgers before Utah drafted him 5th in 2025.

🏫 Rutgers · 5th, 2025Chattanooga

One of the top scoring prospects in his class, he opened at around 14 points a game.

13.8 ppgScoring wing

He became the youngest player in Jazz history to reach 500 career points.

Youngest to 500All-Rookie

A 19-year-old with elite size, he's a foundational piece for Utah's rebuild.

High ceilingFoundational
— end of story —
Want the full numbers? Open the breakdown →
PPG
13.8
2025-26
RPG
4.2
per game
APG
1.8
per game
FG%
.443
.344 from three
LIFE

Roots & the rise

A 6-foot-9 scoring wing and No. 5 pick — an elite prospect and foundational piece for the Jazz.

Airious 'Ace' Bailey was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee into a basketball family and was a McDonald's All-American and Mr. Georgia Basketball before one season at Rutgers, where he averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds. Utah drafted him 5th overall in 2025.

One of the most highly-touted scoring prospects in his class — a 6-foot-9 wing with elite size — he opened his NBA career averaging around 14 points a game and became the youngest player in Jazz history to reach 500 career points. As a 19-year-old lottery pick, he is a foundational young piece for Utah's rebuild.

Sources: Wikipedia, NBA.com, Basketball-Reference, ESPN.

BEYOND THE GAME

Beyond the game

Bailey comes from serious athletic pedigree — his mother played college basketball at West Virginia, his father at Houston, and his aunt Venus Lacy was a WNBA player and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. That lineage and elite size fueled his rise from the Chattanooga area to a top-five pick.

His on-court identity is scoring size — a 6-foot-9 wing with the length and shot-making to score at three levels, projecting as a foundational offensive piece for a rebuilding team. As an early-career rookie his professional resume is still thin, but his combination of size, scoring pedigree, and youth gives him a high ceiling on Utah's timeline.

PERSONALITY

The person

A big scoring wing with high upside — size, shot-making, and a strong scoring pedigree.

Scoring sizeA 6-foot-9 wing who scores at three levels.
High pedigreeA McDonald's All-American and top-five pick.
FoundationalThe youngest Jazz player ever to reach 500 points.
PLAYER DNA

Archetype & ratings

Archetype
Rookie Wing · Shot-Maker
Temperament
Spark
Leadership
58/100
Scoring63
Playmaking40
Rebounding60
Perimeter D62
Rim protection45
Spacing61
Athleticism70
Clutch64
a three-level shot-making rookie wing
ANALYSIS

What the numbers say

Scoring size and upside

Bailey's value is scoring at size — a 6-foot-9 wing with the length and shot-making to score at three levels, projecting as a foundational offensive piece. His strong scoring pedigree (17.6 a game at Rutgers, around 14 as a rookie) and elite size give him a high ceiling on a rebuilding Utah team with a clear runway for his minutes.

Early in the journey

As a 19-year-old lottery pick, Bailey's professional resume is genuinely thin, and much of his profile is projection — the usual development questions around efficiency, shot selection, and all-around play apply. But his size, scoring instincts, and youth make him one of the higher-upside young pieces of his draft class, and Utah's timeline suits his growth.

STATS

Season by season

Per game

SeasonGPMINPTSREBASTFG%3P%
2025-267227.613.84.21.8.443.344

Source: Basketball-Reference.

ADVANCED

Advanced & historical

Where he sits in history

2025No. 5 overall pick — one of the highest picks in Rutgers history
CollegeThird-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman at Rutgers
2026Youngest player in Jazz history to reach 500 career points

Hardware

No. 5
Draft pick (2025)
1×
All-Rookie Team
OUTLOOK

Where it's headed

AI-generated · updated July 13, 2026

A high-upside scoring wing with elite size — a foundational young piece for the Jazz.

Bailey pairs elite size with a strong scoring pedigree, projecting as a foundational offensive piece for Utah's rebuild. As a 19-year-old his resume is thin and much is projection, but his size, shot-making, and youth give him one of the higher ceilings in his draft class on the Jazz's timeline.

ScoringPromising
Size / lengthElite
Shot-makingPromising
All-around / efficiencyDeveloping

Contract

Draft
No. 5, 2025 rookie
Role
Scoring wing foundational
Age
19 rising
Bottom line

A 6-foot-9 scoring wing with elite size and a strong scoring pedigree — a high-upside foundational piece for Utah's rebuild, still early in his journey.

FAQ

Quick answers

How high was Ace Bailey drafted?

No. 5 overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2025 NBA Draft, out of Rutgers — one of the highest picks in Rutgers history.

What kind of player is Ace Bailey?

A 6-foot-9 scoring wing with elite size and shot-making, projecting as a foundational offensive piece for Utah's rebuild.

What is notable about Ace Bailey's family?

A deep athletic pedigree — his parents played college basketball, and his aunt Venus Lacy was a WNBA player and 1996 Olympic gold medalist.