The Utah Jazz's future looks a lot more exciting now than it did a month ago, but amongst all the excitement for what's to come next season, Ace Bailey's rookie season has become somewhat of a footnote. It shouldn't because even if he hasn't dominated his rookie season, his raw talent has definitely excited the Jazz fanbase as a whole.
While Bailey is more of a wing, his one skill has garnered him comparisons to a former NBA legend who Jazz fans should be pretty well aware of: Ray Allen.
Jazz assistant coach Jason Terry recently praised Bailey in an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints' DJ Siddiqi, where he compared Bailey's jumpshot form to Allen's.
“There's no limit for Ace Bailey, because he's a blank canvas,” Terry told Siddiqi. “He's only 19 years old. He's coming in. He's raw, but he has supreme athleticism, and his ability to shoot — he can be one of the great shooters from long range, when it's all said and done. He has a quick release, and he gets it off. He gets it off quick, kind of like a Ray Allen-type release. He doesn't jump as high. But as far as getting that shot off, he gets it off pretty quick.”
Anyone familiar with Allen's game knows that his calling card was primarily his automatic jumper. The funny thing is, his jumper was so pure that is shadowed how amazing of a basketball player he was overall. It's fair to suggest that Allen's shooting form was so amazing that it rivaled the likes of Stephen Curry, Larry Bird, and Kevin Durant.
On the season, Bailey is shooting 33.5% from distance, which isn't terrible but is still considered subpar. However, anyone who has watched Bailey's jumper can see that it actually looks pretty good. Improvement may simply take more reps.
If Bailey has a Ray Allen-esque career, the Jazz struck gold
It'd be lofty to expect Bailey to turn into one of the best shooters the NBA has ever seen like Allen was, but if he evolve himself into a sharpshooter, the Jazz's long-term ceiling could reach a whole new level.
It would be hard to categorize the Jazz as a contender next season, since we technically don't know how good they will be when everyone is healthy. However, if Bailey ascends to an above-average floor-spacer by next season, that would, at the very least, make the Jazz the team no one will want to face.
Utah has other priorities, as their offense looks like it should be good for next season while their defense may still have some holes. The Jazz would love to see Bailey become a two-way wing, so if he can do that and become an elite sharpshooter, it's fair to say they guessed right and then some at last year's NBA Draft.