Ace Bailey expresses enthusiasm for being with Jazz in Utah intro - ESPN

Ace Bailey indicated Sunday that he never thought about holding out or forcing a trade after the Utah Jazz drafted him No. 5 overall.

Bailey reported to Utah after he was criticized for his approach to the pre-draft process, during which he refused to work out for teams interested in him. When asked during his introductory news conference whether he considered not coming to Salt Lake City, he only expressed enthusiasm for being with the Jazz.

«Just blessed to be in the position I am,» Bailey said.

Before the draft, Bailey canceled a scheduled workout with the Philadelphia 76ers and declined invitations from the Charlotte Hornets and Jazz to work out for them. Utah was not among his preferred destinations, a source told ESPN's Jonathan Givony in the lead-up to the draft.

That didn't stop the Jazz from using their lottery pick on him anyway. Utah is betting the 18-year-old will unlock his potential and blossom into a prolific scorer.

Joining Bailey in Utah are No. 18 pick Walter Clayton Jr. and No. 53 pick John Tonje, two other high-level scorers.

«This is a dream scenario for us,» Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge said. «These are guys we targeted before the draft with high potential and high character, and we couldn't be more excited.»

Ainge believes all three rookies are multi-dimensional players who can make an impact on defense.

«These guys can play on both ends,» Ainge said. «We're looking for the best combination of all the skills we can. But, yeah, these guys can put the ball in the hole.»

Mock drafts had Bailey as a consensus top-three pick before he slid to the Jazz. The 6-foot-8 forward has a versatile offensive game. At Rutgers, Bailey showed he can shoot off the dribble, knock down step-back