With all the excitement of drafting Darryn Peterson #2 overall and giving Keyonte George a contract extension, I would forgive anyone who may have forgotten that we have another very talented bucket getter on the squad.
Unfortunately for Ace and his talent, he may have to take a lesser offensive role (maybe even a bench role) this year for the Jazz. Darryn Peterson is one of the most NBA ready guard prospects that we’ve seen in quite some time, and his fit in the backcourt next to Keyonte George is seamless.
Ace could very easily play the SF position, but as I stated in my first “The Burden of Expectation” piece, there is a very real scenario where (because of our lack of rebounding ability) Lauri Markkanen may have to be slid up to the 3, allowing Jusuf Nurkic (once he returns from injury) or Kyle Filipowski to take the starting Center spot.
I certainly don’t want this to happen but there is a chance that we could see a diminished version of what Ace can be. Basketball, as some of you may know, only has one ball and the other four starters will be taking a lot of shots away from Ace. This shouldn’t discourage him as a player, or you as a reader. If anything, Ace has a real opportunity to prove that he is invaluable to this team if he can display a chameleon ability.
I’ll be the first to admit that Ace didn’t have the best start to his NBA career; during his first 20 games he averaged just 10 points a night with 46/35/84 shooting splits. The stats were fine in a vacuum, but not exactly what you wanted from the 5th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
During the midway point of the season, though, Ace started to find his footing. After scoring 32 points against the Wizards in March, former NBA player Chandler Parsons said that he saw a little bit of Paul George and Kevin Durant in Ace’s game. After a deep dive into the numbers by the talented (and probably handsome) author of the linked article, we found out that Chandler Parsons was onto something. Ace’s production was right in the middle of what Kevin Durant and Paul George produced during the first 56 games of their careers. It’s also pretty easy to see how we as a viewing audience could make the comparisons: Ace has a great wingspan at 7’, he’s shown that he can put the ball in the hoop, and to top it all off he was able to show this much promise as someone who can’t even buy a beer legally yet.
During the last stretch of the season is where Ace really showed out. During the last 20 games of the season he averaged 18.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks a night while shooting 36% from 3. It should be noted that during this stretch, the Jazz weren’t exactly playing inspiring basketball, but improvement is improvement. During that last stretch of games is where he caught the eye of a lot of fans, including myself. I saw a world where he’d be able to contribute this year in a meaningful way next to Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. Then we were blessed by the Basketball Gods.
I don’t expect good things to happen, and I never have. I expect my favorite teams to lose every single game that they play, and when they win it’s a nice surprise. I think it’s a self preservation tool; I haven’t been able to talk to my therapist about it but I’ll keep you updated. Due to that mentality, I fully expected the Utah Jazz to get the shaft in the NBA Draft. There was a 27.1% chance that our pick landed at #6, and only an 11% chance that it landed at #2. I was preparing for the worst; as a matter of fact I had an article ready to go about how Mikel Brown Jr. and Keyonte George would be able to operate in the backcourt together.
As respectfully as possible to Mikel Brown Jr. because I think that he’s going to have a really solid pro career, I cannot be more thankful that I was proven wrong. When we landed the #2 pick I knew that we were walking away with either Darryn Peterson or AJ Dybantsa, and I don’t think that we could have gone wrong with either pick. I did, however, immediately think about what it meant for Ace and his role on the team.
Keyonte averaged 23 points and 6 assists a game last season so he is going to get a lot of shots and dictate who else gets shots. Darryn Peterson, again, is the most NBA ready guard we’ve seen in quite some time and his offensive repertoire demands that he’s involved in the offense quite a bit. During Markkanen’s time in Utah he’s averaged 17 shots a game, and while his shot diet will be a little different this year, he’ll still get plenty of touches. Then when it comes to JJJ, I think that he’ll take about 12-14 shots a game like we’ve seen him do throughout his entire career. There are only so many shots in a game, and when there is so much offensive firepower in your starting unit, it would only make sense that the second year player would be the one to sacrifice and not your point guard of the future, your shiny new draft pick, your former All-Star, or your $50 million man. That’s why there is so much expectation on Ace to make a name for himself in this crowded field.
Coach Will Hardy is going to have one hell of a time figuring out lineups this year and I do not envy him. Ace is without a doubt talented enough to be in this starting squad. I believe that he showed us how good he is going to be in in those last 20 games of the year. I think that there is a very real scenario where he performs so well that we’ll eventually be able to trade Lauri Markkanen for future draft capital and Ace can replace Lauri’s offensive production with ease. This is going to be a defining season for him, and it all hinges on how he handles the cards that are dealt to him.
If he is part of the starting line up, will he be okay with being the 4th or 5th option? Will he be patient enough to let the shots come to him? Will be be okay with taking a back seat? Much was made of his maturity level coming into the draft, and while I don’t (and didn’t) buy the rumors, it would only be natural to feel a certain type of way given the circumstance. If my day job hired someone with my job description, paid him more money, and paid more attention to him, I would be a little cross especially because I was here first and I’m pretty good at my job already.
If I were the one calling the shots, I do think that I would lean towards having Ace run the bench unit. A lot of people could look at that and call it a “demotion” but I’d try my best to sell Ace on the upside: he’d get all the shots he wants, he would still play starter minutes because bench production is a premium commodity in this league, AND he’d have a great chance to win 6th Man of the Year if the team does well. He and Isaiah Collier could run the bench unit together and be a duo that helps the team in the long run.
Ace is a key piece of this team’s future, but also the team’s season. We have the highest expectations we’ve had in quite some time, and regardless of what Ace’s playing time is, I think that his ability to adapt to his environment is going to dictate part of the team’s success. My hope for Ace this year is that if he’s a starter, he’ll fit into the role flawlessly and be an ancillary part to a well run offensive machine. If he’s moved to the bench I hope that he IS the offensive machine and wins the 6th Man of the Year award.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and I think that Ace is up for the responsibility.
What are you expecting from Ace this year? Do you think he’ll start or do you think that he’ll own the bench unit? Sound off in the comments!
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