Ace Bailey achieves rare NBA feat that hasn't been seen since Kevin Durant

The one upside for a rebuilding team embracing the tank this late in the season is the fact that they get to see some of their young talent blossom to give them hope. The Utah Jazz are special in this regard because they are going to be different next year, so seeing their young talent morph into something special makes next year even more exciting.

Enter Ace Bailey.

The Jazz lost to the Philadelphia 76ers last night, but it's only become clearer how far Bailey has come along as a rookie since first entering the NBA. Putting up 25 points is not something new for Bailey, but the five blocks are.

In fact, it's the most he's put up in a game this season. Bailey had only two three-block performances before last night. He's had three other 25-plus point performances. Bailey putting up 25 points and five blocks makes him the second-youngest player to achieve that feat since Kevin Durant did it in his rookie year with the Seattle SuperSonics.

Doing something like this should further reassure the Jazz definitely made the right pick when they had him at No. 5, regardless of who was picked ahead of Bailey. If he's putting up statlines like this at the age he's at now, imagine what he'll be like when his body starts filling out as more time passes.

It didn't result in a win, but it does prove something else that is fantastic news for Utah.

Ace Bailey is a two-way player in the making

Bailey's gotten comparisons to NBA legends like Ray Allen from Jazz personnel, and that's a big deal. Putting him in the same breath as Kevin Durant? Even bigger. There's still no telling what Bailey's ceiling is as a player, but what bodes well for him and the Jazz is his contributions on both sides of the floor.

The Jazz are already going to be set in the scoring department regardless of what Bailey does, but if he shows even more strides on that side of the floor, suddenly they become one of the most unstoppable offenses in the league.

But the Jazz would be fine even if he has a sophomore slump offensively. Defensively is where the Jazz definitely need a step up from him because they want all hands on deck on that side of the floor. Utah is poised for a major turnaround next season. They have a few excellent defenders on the team, but only a few.

If Bailey can add to that, the Jazz becomes even more fortified for what should be their best season since the 2020s started.