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About once every day, Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy is shocked by something that rookie Ace Bailey does. After shaking a stunned look off his face, he has to mentally log that there is yet another unexplored facet to Bailey’s game.
“It’s like hmm, OK, I didn’t know that was an option for us,” Hardy said with some wonder and excitement.
A rookie season is always one of exploring and understanding the full breadth of a player’s skillset, but the Jazz feel like there is an unusual well of potential when it comes to Bailey.
He came to the Jazz after a single season at Rutgers and having always been the best if not one of the best players on the court any time prior to his lone collegiate season. That has usually meant having the ball in his hands and being tasked with creating scoring opportunities for himself, because he has always been the best scorer.
So there aren’t any concerns about his ability to knock down shots or create advantages, ball in hand. What the Jazz are learning is that his defensive capabilities are growing by the day, and that Bailey is a much more versatile offensive player than ever anticipated.
“He’s just so talented and he’s not even scratching the surface yet,” 18-year veteran Kevin Love said. “There’s so many things that he does out there that you just say, ‘Wow,’ and you understand why he was so highly touted coming out as an 18-year-old. His play-making, his passing, it’s just all so natural for him. And as he continues to keep breaking down film and stay in the gym and continue to work, you’re just going to see more and more.”
One of the things that happens for some of these ball-in-hand scorers that are so impressive before coming to the NBA is that they get a kind of all-or-nothing reputation. That’s kind of how Bailey was seen from the outside.
The perception was that he wouldn’t be a passer, wouldn’t be able to function much off ball and that he would take ridiculous shots every time he got a touch.
That couldn’t be farther from the truth. It has been a seemingly seamless transition for Bailey to fold himself into a team that is cultivating an identity based on off-ball movement and passing.
“We have to have enough humility to know that there is context to every situation,” Hardy said. “We as an organization, were very high on Ace in the draft, and so when he comes to us, we’re very excited. But then the actual nuance of, what is he capable of right now, and where could it go in the future? You do have to explore some things.”
New with the Jazz
From the archives
Extra points
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- Why aren’t signs allowed at the Delta Center anymore? (Deseret News)
- Frank Layden’s legacy of joy and humor lives on (Deseret News)
Around the league
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- LeBron James’ double-digit scoring streak is over after more than 18 years.
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- Dec. 5 | 5:30 p.m. MST | Utah Jazz @ New York Knicks | KJZZ
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