The Utah Jazz are using Ace Bailey in all the wrong ways this season.
While other rookies like VJ Edgecombe, Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, and Kon Knueppel have significant roles on their teams, Ace has a minimal role by comparison and is having a lukewarm rookie season, which was reflected in his omission from the Rising Stars Challenge.
One might note that the Jazz are intentionally tanking this year to keep their first-round pick, even though they insisted they wouldn't do so before the season, while the Sixers and Spurs are in the midst of hunting playoff berths, while the Mavericks and Hornets are just outside the play-in, and looking much improved over a year ago.
While the Jazz DO want to keep their first-round pick, it would be possible to do so with Ace leading the way and significant growth as a key contributor this season.
When Ace Bailey is in the game, Jazz fans see glimpses of the talent and potential, a breakaway dunk here, a great defensive play there, but he's averaging just under 10 shot attempts a game, on 45/34/72 shooting splits, more than solid for a 19-year-old adjusting to the NBA.
How the Jazz can get Ace Bailey break out
One key factor: Ace is playing out of position at guard much of the time. He's a more natural small forward and would thrive there. But Will Hardy continues to play him in the backcourt, likely due to Ace's physique (six-foot-nine and 200 pounds) that could prove problematic playing closer to the rim.
Much like Kevin Durant before him, Ace entered the league as a natural scorer with a light frame who still needs to gain bulk. Durant also played much of his rookie year out of position, but once he changed to the frontcourt, the dominance was unquestionable.
Having Ace defend smaller, quicker guards is a big reason he's a negative defender on the whole, and putting him in better matchups will be key to having success on that end of the court. There's no reason the Jazz can't move him onto different players at times.
And with all of the load management the Jazz have been doing lately, there's no reason Will Hardy can't experiment with different lineups to get the most out of Ace Bailey, while the Jazz are still full in on the tank this season.
It's time the Jazz stop treating Ace Bailey like a kid on training wheels, and let him loose!