The Utah Jazz drafting Ace Bailey was considered a home run for them, not just because of how talented he is, but also because it made many forget their lottery woes only continued in 2025. However, despite Bailey's obvious potential, there is one problem with his game that could prevent him from winning Rookie of the Year: his inefficiency as a shooter.
ESPN's Kevin Pelton revealed that Bailey was among Cooper Flagg's stiffest competition for Rookie of the Year, with his other competitors being Tre Johnson and Kon Knueppel. While he ranked Bailey among the top three, he also explained why Bailey might have some growing pains with the Jazz.
"I would give Bailey the longest odds of this group because Utah's offense could cater to his worst instincts in terms of shot selection. Bailey shot 37% in two games with the Jazz at the Salt Lake City Summer League. Utah coach Will Hardy will undoubtedly push Bailey toward higher-value 3-point shots, but the Jazz lost two of their best shot creators in Sexton and Jordan Clarkson and are relying on recent draft picks to replace them," Pelton wrote.
The one upside is that Bailey should be given plenty of scoring opportunities with the Jazz's current construction, but it wouldn't be surprising if it takes a minute for him to develop any consistency as a scorer.
It's not like this will be a problem, but hopefully, fans won't overreact to his potential struggles if it were to become a problem... Oh, who are we kidding?!
There's two upsides to Bailey's likely growing pains
Every rookie has his struggles. It might be all season long, or after leaving a good first impression, they hit a wall. Regardless, if it happens to Bailey, and we should acknowledge that there's a chance it won't, there are two upsides.
1. He's in a pressure-free environment. Utah should be content to let him play through his struggles. As a team that has given every indication they plan to tank again, watching Bailey have some hurdles to overcome shouldn't be a problem. If Cody Williams got the benefit of the doubt, then so should Bailey.
2. He can prove he's more than just a scorer. Bailey showed out in the Summer League a while back, but on top of his flashy scoring, he also showed his energy on defense and rebounds. Even if the scoring doesn't come right away, he can still show how good he is as an all-around scorer.
We must remember that Pelton ranked Bailey among the players that he sees as Flagg's best competition for Rookie of the Year. Whether he will or not will be determined a few months from now, but even if he may have some kinks to iron out, Bailey will have a long leash in Utah. Just because he may have some struggles does not mean he can't or won't be exciting to watch.