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The Utah Jazz's potential this season hinges partly on whether second-year forward Ace Bailey can make a significant leap. Bailey, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft out of Rutgers, is a lanky frontcourt player with abundant natural scoring talent. As a rookie, he found his form late in the year, posting solid first-season numbers. Now, as a full-time starter, Bailey is expected to deliver more consistency.
However, consistency eluded him on Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers. In a game the Jazz led for a long stretch before ultimately falling, Bailey started scorching hot but then largely disappeared.
Bailey's Disappearing Act
Bailey was spectacular in a wild first quarter. The Jazz raced out to a 47-29 lead, and Bailey poured in 15 points. He scored in a variety of ways: a shot in the lane, a 15-foot jumper, another close-range basket, a dunk, a floater, a right-wing 3-pointer, and a tip-in just before the buzzer. He also grabbed seven rebounds to go with his 15 points. It looked like a breakout night for the youngster against the Lakers.
But that first quarter told only part of the story. Bailey did not score in the second or third quarters. He missed one shot and committed one turnover in the second. In the third, despite playing the first eight minutes, he did not attempt a single shot. He scored just once more, a follow dunk with 2:43 remaining that pulled the Jazz within 121-119. However, Utah fell late by a 132-123 final.
There were long stretches where observers could only wonder, "What's Ace doing?"
What Happened?
It's not uncommon for young players to endure rough patches, but this one echoed Bailey's Rutgers career. In college, Bailey was often one of the best players on the floor, teaming with Dylan Harper, who the Spurs selected No. 2 in 2025. Yet Rutgers finished with a sub-.500 record and missed the NCAA Tournament. The concern with Bailey was never his talent, but whether he could put it all together efficiently and impact winning.
When he's rolling, he's an exciting player capable of scoring 15 points in a quarter against a high-caliber team. But when Bailey stops scoring, he struggles to influence the game in other ways. Too often early in his NBA career, he has gone entire quarters—or two—without scoring. There's still plenty of time for Bailey to develop consistency, but he doesn't have it yet.
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Originally reported by yahoo.