I’ll be honest; I had to check a couple of times to see if this was NBA Centel, but I certainly don’t mind the comparrison.
Coming off the heels of his career night it is very easy to be on the Ace Bailey Train. Depending on how you feel about the situation you’re either happy or annoyed that
we picked up the win against the Washington Wizards, but what can’t be denied is what we saw on the floor. Ace displayed what he could be at the peak of his powers as a scorer, and he displayed that skill at all three levels. He manipulated the pick-and-roll well, he got out in transition, showed the midrange touch, and he shot the longball well.
What I loved the most was how he attacked his 1-on-1 matchup: he attacked the top foot to get downhill, if the opponent’s hand was down the shot was going up, and if there was a sliver of daylight he wasn’t afraid to let it fly. If you were to look at that at face value it is easy to see how Chandler Parsons made the connection. At the peak of Paul George’s career and what Kevin Durant is still doing now (somehow), they were both elite isolation scorers with a very smooth game. Nothing was ever rushed, everything was taken with purpose, and of course they were both absolute bucket getters. What do the numbers say, though?
I think it would be criminally insane to put those kind of expectations onto a player so young, but honestly the numbers are on Ace’s side through his first 56 games. I know it was a very long time ago now but the history books will tell you that Kevin Durant had one heck of a start to his NBA career. The Seattle Supersonics were… struggling at the time and very much needed a facelift. Kevin stepped in as a teenager and took the role as “The Guy” immediately.
Kevin Durant was put on this Earth to put the ball in the hoop and he’s done it at the highest level for nearly two decades. Paul George on the other hand was more of a rags to riches story.
During Paul George’s rookie year there was a different sheriff in town: Danny Granger. Let’s have a moment of silence for the career that Danny Granger was supposed to have before the injuries got to him, and then let’s remember that George was able to step up as soon as Granger went down. While the ascension of Paul George was very rewarding to watch, I think a lot of people would be lying if they said they knew that he would turn into a future MVP candidate based off his first 56 games.
With Ace we sort of have a Goldilocks situation. He didn’t take the league by storm from the jump, but he also didn’t take two and a half years to be viewed as having “superstar potential.” If I’m being fair I think that Ace’s career so far is most like Paul George’s in so much that there are other high level players on this Jazz team that he has to compete with for shots, much like George did with the likes of Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert, and even Darren Collison. Playing with guys like Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George who are obviously best with the ball in their hands and to still put up numbers like these are more than respectable.
I still think we shouldn’t put these kind of expectations on someone who can’t legally rent a car, but I’d be lying if I said I don’t also see what he could become in the future. His game is so smooth, he has really good mechanics on his jump shot, and to be a 3-level scorer at his age is no easy feat.
He still has some shortcomings: so far he and Michael Porter Jr. seem to have the same middle name of “Never Swing the Rock”, he needs to be a bit more efficient, and he certainly needs to make strides on the defensive end to be in the same stratosphere that PG and KD were at their peaks (don’t sleep on peak KD’s defense), but what young player doesn’t have things to work on? At this point in the season the Jazz would be best served to let the players discover what they could be at their peaks. We’ve seen Keyonte George have a Most Improved Player candidate type of season, Isaiah Collier is having a great playmaking season despite his unwillingness to shoot the 3, and guys like Brice Sensabaugh and Kyle Filipowski have proven that they can be reliable rotational pieces.
Seeing Ace go for a career-high 32 was fun to watch, and it was exactly what I needed to see to envision this team for next year. We could very well be looking at a competitive team for next year assuming that everyone comes back healthy. With the defined roles we have for George, Markkanen, and Jackson Jr., if Ace is able to walk in a be a reliable scoring option I think it raises the floor of what this team could be, and if Chandler Parsons is right we may have to stop thinking about the Jazz being a potential Play-In team and start thinking about them being Playoff locks.
Is Chandler Parsons bugging or do you also see a superstar in Ace Bailey? How do you think he’ll mesh with this team next year once everyone is at full strength? Sound off in the comments! Be kind, tell someone you love them.
