NEW YORK — Going into the NBA Draft, ex-Rutgers star Ace Bailey’s camp made it clear that he had preferred destinations — the New Orleans Pelicans, Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards.
But on Wednesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Bailey, a guard, was chosen No. 5 overall by the Utah Jazz, three picks after former teammate Dylan Harper went No. 2 to the San Antonio Spurs.
Bailey — who, in the final two weeks before the draft became the NBA’s Shedeur Sanders, projected to tumble down the board from his original projected position at No. 3 — looked stunned and disappointed in the aftermath of the pick.
“This was not one of his preferred destinations, Utah,” ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony said. “The Utah Jazz selected Ace Bailey knowing that. This is a little bit of a stunner, but if you think about it, this is an outstanding place for Ace Bailey.
“They have a wide-open wing situation. They have a huge need for a star in his mold. They have an outstanding coaching staff. I think Ace Bailey is going to recover from this very quickly and realize that he landed in an outstanding situation with the Utah Jazz, it’s 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 happened. And this is the first move that Austin Ainge has made as a head decision-maker in the NBA and it’s a big one.”
Bailey, in an attempt to indirectly choose his team, didn’t work out for Utah. He skipped a scheduled workout with the Philadelphia 76ers, who ended up drafting Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe at No. 3. Bailey didn’t work out for any NBA team.
“I give Utah a lot of credit here,” ESPN’s Bobby Marks said. “Here’s a player that didn’t come into their workout, and I think it shows you that we tend to over-evaluate the individual’s draft process. If Utah needed to get a star, this was the best available player.
“It doesn’t matter if he came in or not.”
Regardless, ESPN’s Jay Bilas says Bailey has a high ceiling and can help the Jazz going forward.
“Beyond the measurables, he’s got a 7-foot wingspan, he’s about 6-foot-8, but he’s just a big time shot-maker,” Bilas said. “He makes tough shots and they’re contested shots. He can make turnaround jumpers with a hand in his face. He’s really good with his pull-up game. He shot like 65% on runners and floaters. He’s just got a terrific feel for scoring the basketball. I don’t think you’re going to find a player in this draft that has made more difficult shots than Ace Bailey has made.
“And I think NBA players, when they were watching him play this last year, go, ‘Man, this dude can score in a variety of ways and makes NBA-caliber shots.’ ... He’s good at catch-and-shoot. He can improve his handle and his finishing, but his talent level is really undeniable.
“A very good athlete, he’s just got a lot of ability,” Bilas added. “Now. I think he can improve his decision-making, his shot selection, his play-making, and I think he could be a much better free-throw shooter. But the talent is undeniable. After Harper and [Cooper] Flagg, this is the most talented player in the draft."
Bailey is the second-highest draft pick in program history following Harper. How did he handle the controversy?
“I have a great circle that maintains the outside world while I just focus on the basketball part,” Bailey said after he was selected. “So I just thank them every day.”
Bailey, however, appeared without family or friends — the first of the five initial picks to be interviewed solo by the network after his selection.
He received praise from Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, so Bailey was asked if he was ready to go to Utah and use those moves on Giannis.
“Oh, for sure,” he said. “I got some more stuff for him, too.”
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter and Basketball Insider for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoriaand check out his Website atZAGSBLOG.com.