When the Utah Jazz drafted Ace Bailey, there were worries about a potential attitude problem after his rather questionable pre-draft ethic, so when the Jazz swung for the fences upon drafting him, there was plenty of skepticism about whether he'd be a good soldier. Two months into his rookie season, nothing is in doubt now, as the Jazz have loved and embraced Bailey.
Zach Lowe confirmed as such on "The Zach Lowe Show" with Michael Pina, revealing how much those in the Jazz organization have been impressed by Bailey since joining the team.
"Everybody in Utah, coaches across the board, love Ace Bailey. They have been so impressed with how hard he plays. He's playing hard on defense, not making as many mistakes defensively as you would think an untested rookie would make. They're throwing him in the pick and roll a little bit as a screener and he's made some nice plays out of that as a roll passer kind of guy. I think you have to be happy despite the numbers being underwhelming."
On the season, Bailey is averaging 10.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 44.2% from the field and 35.8% from three. Those are not spectacular numbers, but anyone who has watched Bailey knows that doesn't tell the whole story.
Bailey hasn't lit it up as a scorer because the Jazz haven't asked him to, and likely will as his career progresses. They don't need Bailey to look fantastic from the jump because Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George have handled the scoring load quite well. Plus, it may not be too long before they give him more opportunities at this rate.
The Jazz have a keeper, and it should only get better from here
Utah has always had the sitgma of not being a players' destination, which fueled the doubt about whether Bailey would embrace being a Jazzman. Because the early returns have been pretty good for Bailey, Utah has to feel pretty comfortable about where things go from here for them as a team and for Bailey as a player.
For Utah to get back to the level they once played at, they will need buy in from everyone. Bailey could have been a talented who wanted nothing to do with Utah, but his approach has been far different from what anyone could have expected. Now he's expected to be another cog in a potential perennial playoff contender.
For the time being, Bailey's stats won't wow too many people, but all signals are what he's done this season is merely the tip of the iceberg.