Ace Bailey Hype and Appreciation thread

[jazznik]

You kinda oversold "how bad Ace is" in your previous post, but I think you are correct in that Ace likely wont be the 5th starter next year.

The reason isnt "Ace is bad" but its more about what we need to make the starting lineup function at the highest possible level and whether Ace provides that.

IMO our top 3 priorities for the 5th starter are POA defense, ballhandling and passing. None of those are Ace's fortes.

I think Ace is way "less bad" to play as a SF. But since now we have both JJJ and Lauri it leaves him the only starting position as a SG, and he is a particularly bad fit for it. A good shooting guard should be very good at dribbling and decent at passing, and Ace is absolutely not there yet.

 

[jazznik]

And just to add to this, on the defensive side... Who do we expect to defend the dynamic guards like Ant, SGA, Mitchel... Lauri is to big for that and Key is, well, Key. It all would all fall down on Ace and I don't think he will be ready next year to cover the best guards in the NBA night after night.

And that is a bit unfair, because it's totally on Keyonte, but it is what it is.

 

[KqWIN]

I still think Jabari Smith Jr. is a very apt comparison. Jabari was much better in college, but the rookie season is pretty similar. That's not an exact fit with what need, but its still a valuable player that every team needs. A lot of these wing, shot maker types just end up being role players and that's just fine.

 

[Tom Pitt]

Efficiency isn't a concern, but the base of why he is so inefficient is. The not getting FTs

fair point. makes me think of Rodney Hood (though ace more talented). Durant averaged 6 free throws a game without the strength too (though he's a bit taller/longer). I guess he's looking like MPJ free throw rate

 

[Tom Pitt]

I gotta stop caring about the Jazz winning. I'm just gonna accept we don't keep the pick... anything else is pleasant surprise. The lottery is probably rigged. Adam Silver won't let us pick better than 8 anyway