Utah Jazz rookie Ace Bailey couldn’t have played much better than he did in his preseason debut, in which he would face idol Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets. Listed as a 6-foot-8 shooting guard or a 6-foot-10 small forward, the 2025 No. 5 pick started alongside Keyonte George in the backcourt. He got the scoring started right away, coming off a screen from Jusuf Nurkic and stepping into 2-point attempt in the middle of the free-throw circle.
Oft-Criticized Jazz Rookie Ace Bailey Aces Preseason Debut
Bailey’s next points wouldn’t come until the second quarter, as he spun away from the defense to take a short mid-range attempt.
Cash.
The next time down, Bailey came off a pin-down from Nurkic to take a middie.
Cash.
Then, Jazz head coach Will Hardy showed off his familiarity with the clipboard. While Bailey was setting a stagger screen with Nurkic, he was able to free himself up for an easy dunk.
Ace Bailey aced his @utahjazz preseason debut!
25 PTS (11-16 FGM)
6 REB
3 AST
2 STL
1 BLKQuite a start for the No. 5 overall pick 👀 pic.twitter.com/CByKWtut76
— NBA (@NBA) October 9, 2025
The onslaught continued in the second half.
Another midrange attempt after collecting his own miss on a tap-out. He made his first 3 from the corner off pass from Taylor Hendricks, who suffered a horrific leg injury last season. Turning defense to offense, he jumped a pass intended for Durant, opting to take a 3 from above the key in transition. The next time he played cornerback, he intercepted a pass that was meant for Alperen Sengun, a budding star. Instead of pulling up for 3, he took it all the way to the rack.
In the fourth quarter, Bailey was still out there though the Rockets had taken their rotation players out. The level of competition aside, this is when he made his prettiest move. Dashing to the rim after receiving a pass in the corner, Bailey hit an acrobatic layup that got Utah’s bench up.
AIR BAILEY LIVING UP TO THE NICKNAME 😱😱 pic.twitter.com/D4gwG4PrNC
— Jazz Lead (@JazzLead) October 9, 2025
It wasn’t all scoring and defending though. 2024 No. 10 pick Cody Williams‘s only basket came off a Bailey assist. In the third quarter, Bailey found Nurkic with a nice dime inside. Late in the game, he hit a hot Brice Sensabaugh while passing out of double-team in the post.
By the end of the game, Bailey had finished with a team-high 25 points (11-16 FG, 2-5 3P), six rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block.
What Does His Preseason Debut Mean?
At some point during the pre-draft process, the conversation about Bailey’s future took a nonsensical turn.
Bailey’s shot-selection was decried due to his affinity for mid-range attempts, which frequently caused him to settle rather than barrel towards the rim. In truth, this was a problem during the first half of the season, much like Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg being far more of a play-finisher than shot-creator at Duke.
However, like Flagg, Bailey got better at that as the season progressed. Bailey also took it upon himself to be more of a playmaker, though with mixed results. This was another area of his detractors harped on. Never mind the fact that he hadn’t shown himself to be a black hole, often swinging the ball to teammates quickly and demonstrating a genuine willingness to play off-ball. This is what’s considered connectivity, but not for Bailey.
Speaking of the eye of the beholder, midrange attempts are bread-and-butter shots for many of the league’s great overall scorers. In fact, given the tendency of teams to run players off the 3-point line, having players that can score inside of it is essential. The need for midrange scorers is now being enhanced by NBA teams playing zone defense more often. The players who can operate in that part of the floor at a high-level are zone-busters.
Ace Bailey’s All-World Upside
Essentially, with Bailey’s length and shooting touch suggesting he could be one of the more dangerous players in the middle of the floor, the concern about his shot-selection was overblown. What did that leave the team that would draft Bailey?
In short, a lanky forward with upside as a three-level scorer, playmaker, rebounder and defender. In short, a prospect that was all but the complete package. Of course, he has further to go in some areas than others. He’s not the quintessential quick-twitch athlete, nor is he the craftiest of ball-handlers. Yet, neither are all-world talents like Durant, Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, or Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. With that in mind, his skillset lends itself to comparisons to each of those aforementioned players.
Perhaps the Jazz were thinking of this when they swooped in to take him away from the Washington Wizards. In any case, with Bailey passing his first preseason test with flying colors, they may certainly be considering it now.
© Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
