Ace Bailey, Walter Clayton Jr., John Tonje are all in Utah and eager to start playing

With families, friends, and pets in attendance, the Utah Jazz formally introduced rookies Ace Bailey, Walter Clayton Jr. and John Tonje on Sunday afternoon.

Despite national media questioning whether Bailey, the No. 5 overall pick of the 2025 NBA draft, would report to Salt Lake City this weekend, the 18-year-old put to bed any questions about his intentions.

When asked if at any time he considered not coming to Utah after being drafted, Bailey was clear.

“No, not at all,” he said, with a smile on his face. “I mean, I’m just blessed to be in the position I am, not a lot of people get to sit in these chairs and have as great of teammates as I got that came on with me. So I’m just blessed to be here.”

As the three posed for photos Bailey and Tonje helped straighten out Clayton’s collar and they joked with one another in the quiet moments between poses. Though they only just arrived in Utah, they were immediately bonded by being drafted together and the chemistry building has already begun.

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Each of the three players are coming to the Jazz from different situations and with different collegiate experiences. Bailey was a one-and-done player for a Rutgers squad that didn’t play in the NCAA tournament, but he is coming to the NBA with a ton of hype for his future potential. Clayton played collegiately for four years and is fresh off an NCAA title at Florida. And Tonje is a 24-year-old who spent six years in college using every bit of playing eligibility he could get.

Despite the differing paths, the trio of rookies will be given equal opportunity to prove their mettle, that all starts on Monday with the team’s first Summer League practice.

The Jazz want the rookies to get as much run as possible through the summer so that when it comes time for training camp to start, the coaching staff has a baseline understanding of where everyone is, which will help to inform what kind of playing time (with the Jazz or SLC Stars) each player will get during the 82-game regular season slate.

But, there are more roster massaging moves that will also help inform those decisions. Earlier in the day on Sunday, news broke that the Jazz had agreed to trade Collin Sexton to the Charlotte Hornets, opening up some guard playing time for the Jazz.

But even with that news in mind, the rookies aren’t expected to be handed anything. With at least Isaiah Collier, Keyonte George and Jordan Clarkson still on the roster, the rookies are going to have to earn their time.

“I still think we got a lot of great guards here, a lot of guys actually,” Clayton said. “So there’s definitely some work to put in.”

All three players come to the NBA having proven in college that they are capable scorers who are able to take and make tough shots on all three levels. But the Jazz are in desperate need of some defense to pop from their young core and there is clearly an expectation that they prove their worth on that side of the ball.

Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge was asked if getting guys who can convert difficult shots was a part of the equation in drafting Bailey, Clayton and Tonje and responded by saying, “Putting the ball in the hole is a big part of the game, for sure. But these guys can play on both ends, right?”

At that point he looked down the dais at his three draft picks and they all made sure to answer in the affirmative.

“For sure,” Bailey said.

“Yes, sir,” Tonje added with a laugh, knowing that they were being put on the spot.

“Definitely, definitely,” Clayton said.

Today, the three rookies were all smiles, radiating excitement and eagerness and positivity. And that’s exactly where the Jazz want them to be as the start this journey. There will be long, hard and arduous days ahead, but for today they are embarking on their professional careers ready to get the ball rolling.