More about Bailey and his fit with the Jazz<\/p>\n
The reality for Utah Jazz fans is that the whole season might always include Ace Bailey \u2013 in whatever form. Whether he\u2019s lighting up highlight reels with explosive dunks or learning through the bumps of his rookie year, the fifth overall pick has already positioned himself as one the centerpieces of the team\u2019s long-term vision.<\/p>\n
And while the sample size is small, Bailey\u2019s preseason performances offered a taste of what could be ahead. In three games, he put up numbers of 16.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.7 steals on an efficient 68.0 TS%.<\/p>\n
So let\u2019s take a look at what we\u2019ve seen so far \u2013 the flashes that made Bailey one of the most intriguing rookies of the preseason, and why his early form might just be a preview of what\u2019s to come in Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n
Bailey\u2019s scoring on off-ball screens<\/p>\n
In his lone season at Rutgers, Ace Bailey\u2019s scoring often came from movement rather than isolation. The Scarlet Knights thrived when they ran him off pin-downs, curls, and flare screens \u2013 sets designed to free his smooth shooting stroke. According to Synergy, the 19-year-old forward shot an impressive 40.7% from beyond the arc when coming off ball screens, finishing the year with a 56.7 TS%, a strong indicator of efficiency for a first-year collegiate wing.<\/p>\n
That same skill translated almost seamlessly in the Jazz\u2019s first two preseason games. Against the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs, Bailey showcased his knack for using screens to generate clean looks, curling into open midrange jumpers and spotting up for threes in transition. Even with Walker Kessler sitting out, Jusuf Nurki\u0107 proved to be an ideal partner \u2013 setting solid, well-angled picks that allowed Bailey to square up and shoot comfortably.<\/p>\n
On the very first possession of the Jazz\u2019s preseason opener against the Rockets, head coach Will Hardy wasted no time putting his rookie in motion. The play was designed specifically for Bailey \u2013 Nurki\u0107 set an away\/wide screen on the wing, freeing the rookie for an open jumper that became his first basket in a Jazz uniform.<\/p>\n
Utah continued to lean into that movement throughout the game, running multiple pin-downs and flare screens to spring Bailey loose.<\/p>\n
The results were exactly what Hardy envisioned: clean looks, confident releases, and a rhythm that suited Bailey\u2019s natural game. What stood out most was how effortless he looked rising up \u2013 using his length to shoot over defenders \u2013 and how dangerous he became when given even a sliver of space.<\/p>\n
Bailey\u2019s ability to cut in open spaces<\/p>\n
Not only can Bailey shoot from those off-ball screens, his awareness to make those timely cuts to make the defense guessing is also worth noting. Whether he\u2019s darting along the baseline or slipping behind a ball-watching defender, Bailey\u2019s timing feels instinctive \u2013 the product of a player who understands spacing, angles, and the rhythm of movement.<\/p>\n
Using preseason film once again, it was once again through a two-man action between Bailey and Nurki\u0107. Utah often stationed the Bosnian center at the elbow, where he could hit Bailey cutting through the lane. Those reads produced easy buckets and forced defenses to choose between collapsing on Nurki\u0107 or staying glued to Bailey\u2019s movement.<\/p>\n
Also in one sequence versus the Spurs, Nurki\u0107\u2019s simple high-post dribble handoff to Bailey, which he used to find an open spot for a jumper \u2013 the kind of connection that looks rehearsed even though it\u2019s rooted in instinct.<\/p>\n
This playtype was not much used in Rutgers, where it was just 6.3% of his possessions, but having a 1.4 points per possession (PPP) rate is something to be excited about \u2013 especially if Hardy continues to spam off-ball actions for Bailey.<\/p>\n
Bailey\u2019s midrange package<\/p>\n
Bailey\u2019s isolation midrange scoring doesn\u2019t rely on brute athleticism but on technique and composure. His lengthy frame gives him a built-in advantage, yet it\u2019s how he uses it that separates him. With a tight handle and advanced footwork for his size, he\u2019s able to manipulate defenders \u2013 using jab steps, hesitation dribbles, and sudden pull-backs to create just enough daylight.<\/p>\n
What stands out most is his ability to rise up cleanly once he finds that pocket of space. Bailey\u2019s compact release and long arms make his jumper nearly impossible to contest, even against rangy defenders. He doesn\u2019t need much separation \u2013 a simple shoulder fake or a subtle shift of balance is often enough to tilt his defender off-line. And when he elevates, the shot looks effortless, fluid, and under control. That kind of balance in isolation is rare for a 19-year-old wing<\/p>\n
This midrange comfort zone serves as Bailey\u2019s equalizer, where he shot 47.1% in college. It punishes bigs who drop too deep, wings who gamble for steals, and switches that try to smother him with length. When the shot clock winds down and the offense stalls, he\u2019s capable of generating clean looks without the need for elaborate sets. It\u2019s a pure, self-sustaining form of offense \u2013 one that reflects polish beyond his years and hints at the makings of a go-to scorer in the Jazz\u2019s future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More about Bailey and his fit with the Jazz The reality for Utah Jazz fans is that the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":354053,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3785],"tags":[7,423,27543,6,422,427,32111,3972],"class_list":{"0":"post-354052","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-utah-jazz","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-jazz","10":"tag-jazz-analysis","11":"tag-nba","12":"tag-utah","13":"tag-utah-jazz","14":"tag-utah-jazz-player-analysis","15":"tag-utahjazz"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115407453884737126","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=354052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/354053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=354052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=354052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=354052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}