Ace Bailey looks awesome but entirely different on the Jazz
Even though his stock seemed to plummet during the pre-draft process, the Jazz decided to select Bailey even though he reportedly had "no idea" that Utah's front office would select him. Despite the occasional red flags and slightly underwhelming physical measurements during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, it was always clear that Bailey was one of the most talented prospects in this class.
Despite efforts from decision-makers surrounding Bailey to reportedly steer him toward the Brooklyn Nets or Washington Wizards, it was the Jazz who called his name on draft night. All things considered, this wasn't the worst case scenario.
More: Why Ace Bailey going to the Jazz is actually the best thing for him
The Jazz are a rebuilding organization and continue to make transactions that favor the youth movement, like trading away John Collins and Collin Sexton in recent days.
Utah would give Bailey an opportunity to play with the ball in his hands and have a high usage rate while also developing under head coach Will Hardy, though the stakes aren't particularly high considering that this front office probably wouldn't mind another shot at the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Despite speculation about whether or not a potentially disgruntled Bailey would even report to the Jazz, the 18-year-old forward is suiting up in NBA 2K26 Summer League and has already had some excellent moments on the court.
Although he was just OK in his debut with the Jazz after scoring 8 points while shooting 3-of-13 from the field on July 5 against the 76ers, his second performance was a notable improvement. He finished with 18 point as well as 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 0 turnovers against the Grizzlies.
Bailey is in the starting lineup for Utah's summer league roster, however, his role is not exactly what evaluators may have expected.
According to Synergy, for example, Bailey has finished the plurality of his scoring possessions using off-ball screens (23.3 percent) in a relatively small sample size.
Compare that to when he was in college and finished 10.1 percent of his offensive possessions using off-ball screens, which ranked fourth-most among his most-used play types.
Consider, meanwhile, that in college his most frequent play type (18.8 percent) was finishing against his defender one-on-one in isolation. Now, during his two summer league games, it is just his fifth-most used play type (10.0 percent) thus far.
Bailey has finished just one scoring possession (3.3 percent) as the ball handler in pick and roll sets, which is also notably lower than where he was in college (8.8 percent) last season. But it has allowed him to have great position for put-back dunks and catch-and-shoot jumpers.
During his two appearances, we are seeing Bailey have significantly more success as a catch-and-shoot option than as a shot creator off the dribble.
While he was long touted as someone who can eventually create off the bounce in the NBA, if his first games are any indication, maybe he begins his career as more of a movement shooter than a primary offensive focal point.
Maybe that means he starts with a lower usage rate, but if it maximizes his efficiency, it could help him considerably in the long run.
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