The Utah Jazz are moving on to a new era with their rookie Ace Bailey and the no. 5 pick delivered in his first game ever wearing their uniform.
The 19-year-old scored 25 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out three assists in the loss to the Houston Rockets. The young player did not show any signs that he is scared of the spotlight, he even got into trash talking with Kevin Durant who was all praises for about performance.
KD thinks Bailey got a career ahead of him and it is great that he is surrounded by the right coaches.
“Dynamic player,” Durant said when asked about the rookie.
“I think he’s gonna be a helluva player. I love the coaching staff that he’s with, I love that he got drafted to Utah. Good development program over there… I’m expecting a big year and a big career for him, and tonight he showed what he can do.”
Utah Jazz is not about Ace Bailey alone
Head coach Will Hardy is impressed with what Bailey showed. He let the league know that he can kill it anywhere on the floor.
“I thought offensively, I loved that it was a variety,” he said. “I think that’s how we want him to try and operate.”
However, is making sure that Jazz’s identity is not just about Bailey. After seeing what his rookie can do, it is now time to get back to work because as talented as the Rutgers standout is, his life can get better if they have the right system.
“It was good for me to go back and watch a lot of that film and try to understand what the beginning of that road looked like,” Hardy said.
“Like, there’s things to take away. I think understanding play types and what that diet is —maybe not as many ISOs when you’re super young, doesn’t mean none — but what can we do to try to make Ace’s life a little bit easier, without making the team about Ace?”
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