Utah Jazz rookie Ace Bailey has taken a quiet leap forward during an exciting month of January. It’s been a welcome development for the Jazz, who are starting to see what their future could look like once their players realize their potential.
From a broader perspective, Bailey’s emergence as a high-quality rookie has gone a long way toward making the 2025 NBA Draft a uniquely elite one.
The top five picks in the NBA Draft are intended to be the cream of each class. However, the odds of all five players, let alone most of the top 10 players, becoming high-level pros are lower than some might hope, and even less likely that they will all flourish as newcomers.
The 2025 NBA Draft laughs at that idea, however, as each of the first nine players off the board has had strong rookie seasons.
Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe and Kon Knueppel were all top five picks leading the race for Rookie of the Year. Dylan Harper and Collin Murray-Boyles are playing meaningful minutes on potential playoff teams. Egor Demin, Jeremiah Fears and Tre Johnson quietly put up quality numbers themselves in well-worn roles.
Combined with the immediate breakout performances of All-Rookie favorites Cedric Coward, drafted at No. 11, and Derik Queen, the No. 13 pick, the 2025 NBA Draft has all-time potential.
Ace Bailey’s breakthrough means almost every top-10 pick is already performing well
Bailey has had a tough opening month with a solid November setting the tone for the rest of the season. He’s now averaging 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.5 three-point field goals in 24.9 minutes per game, shooting at a .455/.348/.722 clip.
To understand how strong his production is, Bailey’s averages translate to 16.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.2 three-point field goals per 36 minutes.
Bailey played a combined 25 minutes and 31 seconds between his first two games in January but has been impossible to keep out of the spotlight since. He has scored in double figures in eight of his last nine games while shooting 49.6 percent from the field.
Bailey has also scored at least 18 points in six of his past seven outings, including three 20-point games, highlighted by a 25-point performance against the San Antonio Spurs.
Ace Bailey has scored more than 18 points in six of his past seven games
With Bailey now turning the corner, the 2025 NBA Draft class can confidently say that, at the very least, each of the top five picks has achieved All-Rookie level seasons. They may not all make it due to the competition for spots, but they have all shown the star potential that was expected of them.
Even a lesser-known newcomer like Demin is shooting 39.7 percent from beyond the arc, which is just a hair above Johnson at 39.3 percent.
The hope in Utah is that the trend can continue, with Bailey not only maintaining a high quality of play, but building on his success. He has already scored excellently at all three levels, including scoring 67.8 percent in the restricted area and a respectable 39.1 percent among mid-range jumpers.
If the trend does indeed continue, Lauri Markkanen will have the co-star the Jazz dreamed of landing when they drafted Bailey.
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