It only took two preseason games for Ace Bailey to show Utah Jazz fans they have every reason to be excited about what he can be. If that's not enough, Bill Simmons recently compared Bailey to an NBA all-timer that would certainly show the Jazz are going in the right direction: Kevin Durant.
While reviewing the NBA's Over/Unders with Zach Lowe and Joe House, Simmons gushed about what Bailey has shown thus far.
"He looked like a more filled-out, 19-year-old Kevin Durant in all the highlights I've seen so far... I actually thought he was going to be a bust. After some of the advanced stats as a college player, combined with how erratic some of the non-basketball stuff seemed, and then him going to Utah, not seeming like he wanted to go there...
"But then, all the stuff I've read, all the stuff I've heard, and then watching him, how comfortable he seems physically in these games already when he's like a baby. He has more thickness and size than I was expecting... He might just be his own solo act, but I think it's going to be real easy for him to score, and maybe right away," Simmons said.
Durant proved from the very get-go that he could score at an amazing rate. Expecting Bailey to do the same might be setting the bar a little high, but he proved pretty quickly that Utah has something very promising in him.
Because the Jazz are in a young timeline, they can afford to let Bailey spread his wings because they don't have much to lose when the plan is already to lose. Durant got to do that even when Seattle/Oklahoma City was starting from the ground up.
For that reason, the Durant comparison may be more exciting than people think.
The Thunder masterfully rebuilt themselves as Durant developed
Bailey may show shades of Durant and he may not, but regardless of what he shows in his rookie year, Durant quickly elevated himself into becoming the NBA's next superstar, his team was still bad enough that they acquired other young starlets to form what should have been the NBA's next dynasty by getting Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Serge Ibaka.
The Jazz could very well do the same even if Bailey shows from the jump that he's got the goods. As he ascends into one of the league's best scorers, the Jazz should be bad enough to add a top prospect or two in the coming years that could lead to a glorious future.
No one should be mad if Bailey doesn't look like Durant, but should be ecstatic if he shows shade of the future Hall of Famer. No matter what he shows his rookie year, the Jazz have exciting young talent again.