Ace Bailey delivers statement debut in Utah Jazz preseason loss

SALT LAKE CITY — Kevin Durant had some high praise for Ace Bailey last winter.

“Ace is a pure, pure talent,” Durant said. “Being able to shoot the ball with that type of touch from anywhere, it’s insane the shots that he can make over multiple people at that length. I see some of my game in Ace.”

Nearly one year later, Durant’s comments look pretty prophetic.

With Durant — the player Bailey has called his “idol” — on the opposing side, Bailey put up 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting in an impressive preseason debut in Utah’s 140-127 loss to the Houston Rockets Wednesday.

The Jazz rookie hit a free-throw line jumper on the game’s first possession — and never really slowed from there.

He showed off his full scoring arsenal: midrange jumpers, athletic finishes, and pull-up 3s. He also chipped in five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Maybe most importantly, he looked ready for the moment.

When asked what moment he was most excited for as he started his NBA career, he quickly pointed to the actual games.

“First game,” he said. “That’s my favorite part of it. I mean, just playing my first game, getting all the nerves out.”

On Wednesday, though, it didn’t seem like there were any nerves to begin with.

He made a quick cut to get open for his first shot of the game, and those quick decisions kept on coming.

He didn’t get caught ball-watching, making several cuts inside for easy looks at the rim — he scored four times at the basket. And when the ball was in his hands, he often had a plan — even if it was as simple as creating space for a midrange jumper.

Bailey even flashed some playmaking ability with a slick read and dish to Jusuf Nurkic in the pick-and-roll.

In all, it was advanced stuff for a player who just turned 19.

In a rebuild where Jazz fans have often been forced to squint to see potential, Bailey’s performance especially stood out.

And the Jazz see it, too.

Head coach Will Hardy said he went back and watched rookie film of Durant and Jayson Tatum to study how their early careers were shaped.

“I think there are things to take away. I think understanding play types and what that diet is — maybe not as many ISOs when you’re super young, doesn’t mean none — but what can we do to try to make Ace’s life a little bit easier, without making the team about Ace?” Hardy said.

That was clear on Wednesday. The Jazz didn’t force-feed Bailey. He was mostly used as a cutter or off-ball option, getting his shots within the flow of the offense — not because the offense was built around him.

It was a strong debut, but Hardy emphasized it’s just the beginning.

“I think one of my biggest focal points in camp and preseason and early in the season we can’t overreact to anything with Ace — good or bad,” Hardy said. “We have to recognize this is the beginning of his career. He’s a young man, and he’s trying to learn and grow. If he has two good games to start, that doesn’t mean he’s the greatest player of all time. If he has two tough games, that doesn’t mean he’s not a good player.”

Still, for Jazz fans, it was hard not to overreact.

Ace Bailey sure looked for real.

“I think he’s gonna be a helluva player,” Durant said following the game. “I’m expecting a big year and a big career for him, and tonight he showed what he can do.”

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.


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