The future of the Utah Jazz looks a lot more exciting now than it did a month ago, but amid all the excitement about what’s to come next season, Ace Bailey’s rookie season has become somewhat of a footnote. That shouldn’t be the case, because even though he didn’t dominate his rookie season, his raw talent has certainly excited the Jazz fanbase as a whole.
While Bailey is more of a winger, his one skill has earned him comparisons to a former NBA legend who Jazz fans should be pretty well aware of: Ray Allen.
Jazz assistant coach Jason Terry recently praised Bailey in an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints DJ Siddiqiwhere he compared Bailey’s jump shot form to Allen’s.
“There is no limit for Ace Bailey because he is a blank canvas,” Terry told Siddiqi. “He’s only 19 years old. He’s coming. He’s raw, but he’s got superior athleticism and his ability to shoot – he can be one of the best long-range shooters when it’s all said and done. He’s got a quick release and he gets it off. He gets it off quick, kind of like a Ray Allen-style release. He doesn’t jump that high. But as far as hitting that shot, he gets it off pretty quick.”
Anyone familiar with Allen’s game knows that his calling card was primarily his automatic jumper. The funny thing is that his jersey was so pure that it shows how great of a basketball player he was in general. It’s fair to suggest that Allen’s shooting form was so great that it rivaled that of Stephen Curry, Larry Bird and Kevin Durant.
This season, Bailey is shooting 33.5% from distance, which isn’t terrible, but is still considered subpar. However, anyone who has seen Bailey’s jersey can see that it actually looks pretty good. Improvement may simply require more repetitions.
If Bailey has a Ray Allen-like career, the Jazz have struck gold
It would be lofty to expect Bailey to develop into one of the best shooters the NBA has ever seen, like Allen was, but if he develops into a sharpshooter, the Jazz’s long-term ceiling could reach a whole new level.
It would be difficult to categorize the Jazz as a contender next season because we technically don’t know how good they will be if everyone is healthy. However, if Bailey ascends to above-average floor space next season, it would at least make the Jazz the team no one wants to play against.
Utah has other priorities, as it appears their offense will be good for next season, while their defense may still have some holes. The Jazz would like to see Bailey become a two-way wing, so if he can do that and become an elite marksman, we can say they guessed right, and even more so during last year’s NBA Draft.
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