THE UTAH Jazz made some notable additions to their team at the 2025 NBA Draft in Chicago last month, giving their offence a boost with two first round selections and an experienced shooting guard on night two of proceedings.

After another disappointing campaign where they did not make any move up the standings, the Jazz turned their attention to the draft, but their selection fell to five despite boasting the worst record in the NBA with just 17 wins from 82 games. They fell victim to the draft lottery system, which saw the likes of the Mavericks, Spurs and 76ers occupy the top three despite being in contention in recent years.

However, the Jazz were able to add the best scoring prospect in the draft pool with their top-five selection, as well as a recent NCAA Championship hero later in the first round, while they took a punt on a mature-aged two-guard with their final pick.

Utah Jazz

Drafted Players

Ace Bailey (pick five), Walter Clayton Jr. (pick 18), John Tonje (pick 53)

The Jazz’s first moves at the 2025 NBA Draft were heavily dependant on what was done by the teams picking before them, and it allowed Utah to swoop on a key piece for the future, particularly on the offensive end.

Although the Jazz were not one of his preferred teams, Bailey ended up there anyway, as the team took a punt on his immense scoring potential. It may just be a match made in heaven too, with Utah likely allowing the wing to put up plenty of shots in his first few seasons, which he does love to do.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard/forward has always had one of the biggest ceilings of anyone in the draft class, but did not complete any workouts prior to the intake, and fell down to pick five as a result despite being one of the top four talents in the pool.

The Jazz were thrilled with this outcome, with their offence set to be structured around Bailey for the future. If he can tidy up his shot selection and continue his development on a young team, he could be an All-Star in the next few years.

Utah was fortunate enough to have two first round selections thanks to previous trading, and added Clayton Jr. with pick 18 of night one. Fresh off winning an NCAA Championship with the Florida Gators, the guard will be eager to make his mark in Utah and add more silverware to his cabinet in the next decade with the Jazz.

He is admittedly older than a lot of his peers in the first round at 22 years of age, but Clayton Jr. has shown he has what it takes to win, leading the way as the Gators claimed the National Championship this year. It was the sort of campaign that played a huge role in not only getting him into draft contention, but also seeing the guard be picked up in the first round.

In terms of team fit, the Jazz do have a fair few young guards now, with Clayton Jr. joining the likes of Isaiah Collier and Keyonte George in the backcourt. However, their most recent draftee has shown the biggest winning pedigree of anyone in the draft class, and was a worthy selection in the first round of a loaded crop.

The Jazz had just the one selection in the second round, and added shooting guard Tonje with pick 53, acquiring him as a potential two-way player for the coming season. Although he did not exactly light the world on fire at the Summer League in Las Vegas recently, the 24-year-old did enough to earn some sort of contract for the coming season, and if he can provide a spark off the bench, could see considerable minutes for Utah soon.

The Jazz gave their offensive weapons a massive boost with their selections in the first round, with Bailey in particular one to watch in his first few seasons given his immense potential to develop into one of the best scorers in the NBA.