Ace Bailey, or at least his former representation, seemingly did everything possible to not get drafted by the Utah Jazz. Bailey reportedly had “preferred” destinations which may or may not have influenced a few teams that were in position to take him in June’s draft. But Utah decided the talent was too great to pass up — even against the looming threat of Bailey not reporting to camp or just being a general malcontent — and took him with the No. 5 overall pick.
So far, this looks to have been a very smart decision.
For starters, there have been nothing but positive reports about Bailey’s attitude. Teammate Kyle Anderson has called Bailey’s positivity “infectious,” while coach Will Hardy has praised the 19-year-old’s “willingness to ask questions” and ability to “see the game and learn on the fly.”
With the obvious qualifier that we’re talking about preseason basketball, and just two games at that, Bailey has looked extraordinary on the court so far. Over 70 minutes against the Rockets and Spurs, Bailey has put up 45 points on 19-of-29 shooting.
Impressive numbers, obviously. But it’s the way those shots are coming, within what is clearly a concerted effort on the part of the Jazz to put Bailey in his most optimal scoring positions, that is putting to bed what was one of the universal concerns about his game in college.
That concern was that his offense came very hard. Everything was contested. Part of this was because Rutgers, outside of No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper, didn’t have anyone capable of drawing defensive attention away from Bailey. But it was also a problem that Bailey was so bothered by the pressure he did face.
Now, when we say bothered, it doesn’t mean he couldn’t score against pressure. He could. And he can. Bailey’s ability to bail himself out with tough shots was perhaps the biggest feather in his draft cap. But in the NBA, making tough shots off whirling spins into mid-range fades cannot be the first page of your survival guide. Sustained, efficient scoring only happens when you are operating in…
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