The Utah Jazz certainly shocked the masses when they set up Ace Bailey with the number 5 -pick. At the time, the story was that Bailey did not want to play for Utah, but it was actually more than that. Bailey’s problem was not that he didn’t want jazz, but that he really wanted to start his NBA career in Washington.
NBA -Sinsider Marc Stein confirmed as such in his September 22 Substit.
“This is in circulation since the design night in June: Washington is the lottery team, according to various rivals, that was the preferred place for Ace Bailey.
“The wizards had the sixth general choice. The Bailey camp refused to deal with teams that are interested in bringing him in for an individual training in the days before Jazz.”
In the end it did not happen, but it was clear since Bailey’s setup why Utah chose to take him despite his wishes to play in DC. The Bailey ceiling is super star level high and his short summer competition showed it.
It does not mean that he cannot heat up to Utah in due course
This is not exactly the best (neither surprising) news for jazz. Utah has the reputation that he is not a destination of a player, so it is not difficult to see that Bailey would rather have played somewhere else. However, that does not mean that he cannot embrace as a jazz man in due course.
Since he comes to Utah, Bailey has said the right things and has made it clear that he has no problem with where he starts his NBA career. If jazz plays their cards well, Bailey can embrace jazz and their fan base in the coming years.
In the beginning it may not be smooth sailing, because everyone knows that Utah is going for the tank again, but if the team shows progress over time to the point that they are clear that they have an eternal competition for the near future, that may be enough to convince Bailey that the right team has chosen him.
The jazz knew the risk when they took Bailey, even though he told other teams not to choose him. This shows their confidence that he will both enjoy and will remain a jazz man for years. Now they just have to show him the vision that they have for him as soon as he takes the floor like a rookie.
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