Utah Jazz announce Ace Bailey decision vs Trail Blazers
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Utah Jazz announce Ace Bailey decision vs Trail Blazers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Utah Jazz will lose their promising young rookie, Ace Bailey, for the second half of their Friday night matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers.
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After seeing the court for seven minutes, Bailey checked out of the game to be evaluated for a possible injury. Eventually, the Jazz announced that he would not return to the game. The rookie is reportedly dealing with concussion symptoms.
When Bailey left the court, he had eight points on 3-3 shooting from the field, knocking down two of his shots from deep. Bailey also collected one rebound, one assist, one steal, and one block on the night.
@UnderdogNBA: Status alert: Ace Bailey (concussion symptoms) won't return Friday.
The Jazz are one of the many rebuilding squads in the NBA. While they have made certain moves that signal they are ready to start turning things around as early as next season, the mission this year is clear: get a solid draft pick.
Heading into the Portland matchup, the Jazz were holding a 20-46 record. They place 14th in the Western Conference, with just one team below them. The Sacramento Kings are 16-51 on the year, trailing the Jazz by 4.5 games.
Bailey, a product of Utah's tanking efforts, has appeared in 58 games this year. He started 47 of those matchups, averaging 27 minutes on the floor.
The rookie is averaging 12.5 points per game, while knocking down 44% of his shots from the field. He is hitting on 34% of his threes on 4.9 attempts per game. Beyond his shooting, Bailey is coming down with 4.0 rebounds per game, and passing out 1.7 assists per game.
The 19-year-old was Utah's 2025 fifth-overall selection out of Rutgers. While he hasn't earned too much Rookie of the Year hype, despite being a top-five selection, he seems to have a bright future in Salt Lake City,