Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Ace Bailey's standout performance helped Jazz to a 152-128 win over Pacers.
- Bailey scored 20 points, including three 3-pointers, and made a key assist.
- Coach Hardy praised Bailey's growth, highlighting his smart playmaking and scoring ability.
SALT LAKE CITY — It wasn't Ace Bailey's transition step-back 3-pointer that stood out to the Jazz. Or his pullback triple to start the second half. Or his tip-in to end the first half. Or any of his other buckets during the rookie's first 20-point night.
No, what popped about Bailey's best game of the young season was a pass.
"One of my favorite plays of the game was in the second half. (Ace) ran a ball screen with Lauri (Markkanen)," Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "Ace made the read, threw it over the top, used his length and his size, and passed the ball over the top … and Lauri had a catch and shoot."
Yep, that simple play — though, on a less-than-simple read — was the main takeaway of Bailey's "best game as a pro."
The rookie wing scored 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, and added four rebounds to help the Jazz blow out the Indiana Pacers 152-128 Tuesday at the Delta Center.
Oh, and that one assist.
"Everybody was hyped," Bailey said with a smile about his pass to Markkanen that ended in a straightaway 3-pointer.
While that pass may have electrified the Jazz bench — including Hardy, who enthusiastically clapped at the end of the play — it was Bailey's scoring that had the home crowd buzzing.
The Jazz have taken the patient route with the No. 5 pick to start the season, allowing him to almost ease into NBA life. There have been flashes here and flashes there of his obvious potential. On Tuesday, though, there was an eruption.
In the first half, Bailey scored 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including three made 3-pointers.
"He keeps getting better," said Markkanen, who led the Jazz with 35 points on Tuesday. "He keeps asking questions in the locker room. He wants to get better. Works on his game a lot."
And he showed off nearly the full arsenal in Utah's fourth win of the season.
He used quick dribbles to create enough space to hit deep 3-pointers, he pulled up in transition and knocked down a shot, he cut to the basket for a dunk, and he crashed inside for a tip-in to end the half.
The best part? It wasn't forced. Bailey, who made his second straight start, scored in the flow of the offense. At this point in his progression, Bailey isn't having a lot of plays dialed up specifically for him.
The Jazz have put him in actions with other players, as either the ball handler or coming off screens. That has gotten him involved in the offense and allowed him to make some reads.
"He's also keeping it really simple, like, I don't see plays where he's forcing it," Hardy said. "Ace is doing a really good job of playing off his teammates."
You could say the same thing for the Jazz as a whole on Tuesday.
Utah came up 2 points shy of the franchise scoring record in the rout of the Pacers, finished with 38 assists, and had eight players reach double figures. Utah shot 45% from 3-point range on 42 attempts, breaking a near season-long dry spell from the 3-point line.
"Definitely a confidence booster for everybody," Markkanen said. "We see the work every guy puts in every day and how they can shoot in gym, and shots haven't been going in. Part of it is probably that we haven't gotten to quality looks, but we know that we can get hot and make a lot of threes, so just got to keep trusting the work."
That's what Bailey has been trying to do as he works his way more and more into Utah's rotation. He's developed high-level film habits, which has helped him correct some early rookie miscues.
"I hope I don't regret saying this, but it's been a couple days since he's gotten caught on like a sweep through or fouling a jump shooter," Hardy said.
And he has noticed plays where he could have gotten a better shot, or where he had missed a pass, or where he could have crashed in harder for a rebound.
If the Jazz's win over the Pacers was any indication, it's all starting to work for the talented rookie.
"He's still young and will make some mistakes, but we see the talent that he has and the work ethic, and so it's all there," Markkanen said.
It certainly was on Tuesday.
