The Utah Jazz picked twice in Wednesday's opening round of the NBA Draft, and somehow came away with two dynamic scorers. Ace Bailey, picked fifth overall out of Rutgers, is one of the most intriguing athletes in the draft. Walter Clayton Jr., selected 13 spots later after trading spots with Washington, was the electric scorer behind Florida's NCAA title run.

Both are high-upside swings, and the Jazz's draft haul was widely lauded. "These were the two guys we really wanted," said Austin Ainge, who presided over the draft for the first time as the lead basketball executive.

But it's likely this is just step one in Utah's summer. The two youngsters join a pretty full roster, comprised mostly of other developmental projects and long-term bets. The roster math is already getting tight, but beyond that, the Jazz probably don't want Bailey and Clayton buried on the depth chart. Could some consolidation be in the Jazz's summer plans?

It's not uncommon for rookies — especially non-lotto rookies like Clayton — to have to work their way up a depth chart. But it's notable that the the Jazz will have 17 standard contracts signed (13 of them guaranteed) as soon as Bailey and Clayton put pen to paper. (Bailey will make just over $9 million as a rookie, while Clayton will earn nearly $4 million on the NBA's pre-set rookie salary scale.)

It's an especially crowded guard field, with four incumbents who each averaged between 25 and 32 minutes last season. What's more, those four all do their best work when they're in possession of the basketball. To maximize the ball-handling, sweet shooting Clayton, it feels like something has to give. That could mean finding a new home for any of the current guard brigade.

Bailey has a clearer path to minutes given that Taylor Hendricks will be coming back from an injury and Cody Williams and Brice Sensabaugh still have a lot to prove. Either way, the Jazz made these talent swings in a highly anticipated draft to see if either guy is good enough to change the club's trajectory; that's something they can only find out by playing them.

Utah is equipped to get into just about any type of trade conversation they want to enter. They have the assets to pursue something that accelerates the timeline, although Ainge did shoot down the Jaylen Brown rumor on Wednesday. They could also create asset opportunities if they want to create more room on the depth chart by trading veterans. And while this option gets discussed less, they could even flip some of the youngsters into more swings if there are players they think they have enough information on to make a decision. They did something similar with former first-rounder Ochai Agbaji in a trade that yielded them Collier.

Whichever way they go, the roster math and positional logjams make me think the Jazz are far from done.

Bailey: athletic and sweet-shooting wing

Bailey's highlight reel includes some downright nasty dunks and explosive moments. Weirdly, that's not really what made him a top prospect in this loaded draft. He's also a scorer's scorer, with a fluid shot motion and prototypical NBA wing size/length. He has enough footwork and creativity to capitalize on the constant fear that he could burst to the rim at any moment. While not an on-ball stopper yet, the off-ball help he provides could be evidence of a smart and willing defender.

Not long ago, he was considered a lock for the top three, and it's easy to see why. This is a player who, at his ceiling, could have a star upside.

There are questions about some of his decision-making and how he handles pressure, which both make sense for a kid who isn't 19 yet. These are teenagers, not finished products, and there's no guarantee he'll fulfill his best-case projection. But the tools are there.

Of course, the other reason Bailey made it to the fifth pick is because of some purported concern over how his camp was managing workouts and the draft process. They wanted him to land someplace where he'd have ample runway to develop into the best version of himself, and ironically, he'll get exactly that in Utah. Even if the Jazz keep other veterans like Lauri Markkanen around while they figure out this next phase of the rebuild, Bailey is going to have a ton of opportunity under Will Hardy. Hardy should be excited about maximizing another toolsy wing with both a feathery shot and a penchant for punishing the rim — not unlike the Finnish forward himself.

Clayton: champion-level shooting and feel

For all of the guards Utah has been developing over the course of the rebuild, there aren't a lot of plus shooters dotting the perimeter when the Jazz have the ball. Jordan Clarkson and Keyonte George are both low-efficiency gunners on average, and Isaiah Collier is primarily a table setter who shoots only reluctantly and makes a worrisome 25% from outside when he does pull the trigger. Collin Sexton is capable of hitting both spot-up and pull-up threes, but overall it's been a massive deficit in Utah's guard play.

Enter Clayton, one of the most decorated collegians in a while and a gutsy creator who carried the Gators to an NCAA championship with ball handling and shooting. He's a pull-up wizard who's a threat whenever he has the ball, and he doesn't need a ton of room to feel comfortable letting it fly. He also shot 87.5% from the line last year, which is a good indicator that he's for real since collegiate FT success tends to be a pretty good predictor of pro shooting outcomes.

But that's not all he is. His assist-to-usage ratio shows that he was truly the hub of the offense for Florida. He is a capable finisher in the paint and from floater range too. He's creative enough as a handler that he can create some real advantages as the pick-and-roll orchestrator, especially since teams don't really have the option of going under.

Utah liked him enough to move up to 18 to get him. They attached three second rounders (including on from Thursday night's second round) to the 21st pick in order to move three spots, which is in line with the historical cost for a small boost in draft order.

Jeremiah Fears would have been an option for Utah at #5 is Bailey hadn't slipped, but Clayton gives them some of that same ball-in-hands creation, just in a different way. Fears is more about carving defenses up with the ball on a string, whereas Clayton is primarily a shooter but also knows how to weaponize the threat of his combustibility from deep. The best-case comp is probably something in the ballpark of Jamal Murray or Fred VanVleet, but there are a lot of lesser versions that are still productive if he doesn't absolutely max out the top of his range.

What's next for Utah?

Expect plenty of trade chatter to continue around the Jazz, including as the draft continues on Thursday night. Then free agency is in full swing starting Monday evening, which is also when Walker Kessler becomes eligible for an extension.

We will once again grace this website with some trackers and lists to help you sort through the possbilities; keep your eyes out in coming days for a free agent tracker as well as a trade board with players who are under contract for multiple future years.

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