Lauri Markkanen gave the perfect response to Ace Bailey’s performance in Utah’s garbage-fire loss in the season opener.
Bailey had a slow start to his rookie season. After averaging a mere 4.4 points per game in October, the Rutgers star skyrocketed to 19.6 points per game on 40.3% from the three-point range by March. Before the 2026 offseason, Ace was sure to be the most promising player on the Jazz roster.
But then, all eyes turned to Utah’s jump to #2 in the draft lottery, subsequently leading to the hype of Darryn Peterson’s arrival. That led to Ace Bailey being a victim of circumstance, being demoted to sixth man off the bench behind the incredibly talented Peterson, Markkanen and Jackson Jr. in the starting lineup.
The light at the end of the tunnel
One of the very few bright spots after a brutal 123-103 thrashing to the Memphis Grizzlies was how Ace Bailey played in 24 minutes.
Sure, the offense was a pleasant surprise, contrasted to the flames around him. Hey, I won’t refuse a cookie, referring to Bailey’s 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists on 5-11 shooting.
But the real prize was his efforts on the defensive end. He repeatedly covered his teammates errors, his agility looked top-notch, and played with an explosiveness that led to 3 blocks.
Shreyas Laddha noted on The Salt Lake Tribune defense was one of the highlights of training camp.
“Offense is going to come,” the second-year forward said. “I’m not worried about the offensive end. I mean, I can score. It’s just mainly just focused on the defensive end, just being the two-way player we need.”
Does Ace Bailey deserve a spot in the starting lineup?
The Jazz struggled tremendously to clean the glass, even with a frontcourt of Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jaxson Hayes. Memphis held a 55-38 rebound advantage, which included a 15-5 advantage on offensive rebounds. The Grizzlies scored 17 points on these second-chance opportunities.
We saw with Walker and Nurkic that the Jazz can be a dominant force inside the paint. In fact, Opponent offensive rebounding plummeted by 8.7% with him active. This deterrence ranked in the 100th percentile among all NBA players, highlighting that his box-outs effectively locked down defensive possessions.
But since Nurkic is out for at least a minimum of a few weeks, it wouldn’t hurt for Hardy to experiment midseason, whether it be a mid-game rotation or starting lineup of George, Peterson, Ace, Lauri and Jaren.
Though in the meantime, I would still give the edge to Jaxson Hayes to keep the mismatches on Lauri and Jaren. However, the glimpses of a premier defensive jump shown by Ace could make him a legitimate force to be reckoned with.
Aside from that, I would like to see Ace become a bigger focal point on the offensive end. The shot-making displayed in his rookie campaign has to be carried over to become a long-term effective player.
If you asked me instead, whether Ace Bailey was a valuable, rising star and an untouchable core piece of their future foundation, then that’s something I can get behind.