Ace

Bailey

Like Darryn Peterson, Bailey played the entire fourth quarter and scored five of his nine points in the period. While the offensive production was limited, the rebounds and defensive stats were good. With Jaren Jackson Jr. sidelined, the Jazz would welcome any defensive contributions from Bailey, and fantasy managers likely feel the same way.

Ace Bailey is the best point of attack defender the Jazz have on the roster right now. He’s also put in serious work on the offseason to get better at rebounding the ball and passing. The amount of trust the coaching staff has in him right now cannot be understated. He’s worth grabbing in redraft leagues if he’s available, and in dynasty leagues, you have to be happy if you have him on your roster.

Bailey has been excellent over Utah’s last two games, posting a double-double in both. However, his production could continue to climb. Lauri Markkanen (wrist) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee) both exited early from this game and could remain sidelined. Bailey already moved into the starting unit after opening night, but his usage will continue to increase if Utah is missing two starters. He’ll look to stay hot against the Spurs on Wednesday.

After coming off the bench in Utah’s season-opener, Bailey has started the last two games. His production on Friday was limited, but the second-year forward stepped up on Sunday. Bailey’s double-double was his second as a pro, and he may keep the starting role as long as the Jazz remain without Jusuf Nurkić. Jaxson Hayes, who started the opener, finished Sunday’s defeat with nine points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal in 19 minutes. Hayes offers limited fantasy upside if Bailey remains the starter.

Ace ended up playing similar minutes and Jaxson Hayes ended up closing the game over him. Even though it wasn’t the most efficient night, what I liked most about tonight is how he crashed the glass and didn’t play selfishly. During the summer, he really put in the work and its starting show how much better he got over the summer. If you own Ace in dynasty leagues, you should be excited about what you’ve seen despite the bad shooting. He’s a better shooter than he showed today.

Ace Bailey has shown in the pre-season that he has gotten better as a scorer. He’s gotten a little bit more freedom in the offense to do what he wants. While he will likely be coming off the bench this year, he should still be useful as a streamer for points this year. In dynasty, stay patient and enjoy the solid production now. It is very possible that Ace is in the running for sixth man of the year this year if he continues to come off the bench.

Nurkić, who was on track to be Utah’s starting center, suffered a partial plantar plate tear in the second toe on his right foot. As a result, he’ll miss four weeks before being re-evaluated. Nurkić’s absence opens a spot in the starting lineup. While Utah could slide Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. down a position, the latter is a better power forward than a center. Ace Bailey and Jaxson Hayes are two potential replacements in the starting five, with the latter being the choice if Jazz head coach Will Hardy prefers to leave Jackson at the four.

Bailey exited Saturday’s exhibition against the Hawks with back spasms and will not play in Monday’s game as a result. He’ll miss out on an opportunity to establish greater chemistry with lottery pick Darryn Peterson. Still, the hope is that Bailey will be available for Utah’s summer league games in Las Vegas.

Bailey looked good in 20 minutes, but he exited early due to right back spasms. In a meaningless exhibition, this could’ve just been precautionary, though it is worth monitoring in the coming weeks since it could impact his availability for the remainder of summer league. Bailey was named to the All-Rookie Second Team last year, but the addition of Darryn Peterson in the draft means he’ll be fighting for a spot in the starting lineup this year.

Flagg, Knueppel, and Edgecombe all received 100 first-place votes, with Harper’s 93 votes not far behind. Cedric Coward’s 29 first-place votes were the least of the first-teamers. Meanwhile, Derik Queen, Maxime Raynaud, Jeremiah Fears, Ace Bailey, and Colin Murray-Boyles were named to the All-Rookie Second team.