The Utah Jazz would be hoping for a big start to the second season in the NBA for Ace Bailey.
Instead, he went scoreless in his first half of the season.
The Jazz are playing the Memphis Grizzlies, and they faced a big halftime deficit.
Bailey certainly wasn’t helping.
Is Ace Bailey Playing Tonight?
Yes, Bailey is in action for the Jazz. He just hasn’t scored through the first half.
Bailey played 13 first half minutes without a point.
Bailey attempted two field goals and missed them both, including one 3-pointer. He didn’t attempt a foul shot.
The second-year forward did contribute with three rebounds, three assists and three blocks in the first half.
Despite that, he was a minus-9.
Aside from a fast start from Keyonte George, it was a first half to the season the Jazz would probably like to forget.
Ace Bailey Stats
Ace Bailey was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Jazz out of Rutgers. He was one-and-done on a college team that also included Dylan Harper yet missed the NCAA Tournament.
The 6-foot-9 Bailey is believed to be a bucket-getting type player for the NBA.
By the end of his rookie year, Bailey had proven capable of doing that. He averaged 13.8 points per game while shooting 34.4% from 3-point range.
Bailey added 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.
Jazz Depth Chart
The Jazz won’t be starting Bailey in most games this season.
Their starting five will generally be Keyonte George, Darryn Peterson, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jaxson Hayes.
Bailey will serve as a backup at either the 3 or 4 generally, behind either Markkanen or Jackson.
As a rookie, Bailey got more time down the stretch of the season, because the Jazz worked a trade for Jackson but then didn’t actually play Jackson as they finished their tank.
The tank worked to land them Peterson, and now with Jackson back in action, it could be quite the unit for Utah.
That didn’t show up in their first half of the season, including with a zero from Bailey in the points column. It should probably get better from there.
Is Ace Bailey Playing Tonight? Why Jazz Forward Isn’t Scoring Points