May 14, 2025; Chicago, Il, USA; Ace Bailey talks to the media during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Marriott Marquis Chicago. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images David Banks-Imagn Images

Utah Jazz Coach Shares Thoughts on Ace Bailey's Debut

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Jul 6, 2025 9:02 PM ET

The Utah Jazz were able to get a first glance at their fifth-overall pick in Ace Bailey during their debut summer league matchup vs. the Philadelphia 76ers, one that resulted in a narrow 93-89 victory for the Jazz to let the rookie start things off on the right foot.

For Bailey, he finished the night with eight points, shooting 3/11 from the field, while also hauling in seven rebounds, one steal and one block during his 25 minutes of action.

After the game, the Jazz's summer league head coach, Scott Morrison, broke down a bit of what he saw from Bailey in his first contest, noting a few positives, while also seeing a few ways to improve as well.

"I thought he showed some good things," Morrison said of Bailey vs. the 76ers. "He rebounded well. He's been doing that all week; showing a bit of a knack for defensive rebounding. Obviously, he's got good length, elevates around the rim. he's not afraid to go up in traffic and grab a board. So, I think that was one positive. His defense– it dropped a little when it got tired– but when he was fresh, and feeling good physically, I thought he pressured the ball pretty well, and made a good impact in the gaps with his length."

Scott Morrison on Ace Bailey: pic.twitter.com/21M14Q18gn
— JP Chunga (@JP_Chunga) July 6, 2025

For Morrison, some of it comes down to gameplanning, and perhaps getting Bailey more involved on the offensive end and getting more opportunities his way.

"Offensively, we can do a little bit of a better job getting him involved. He had a nice little mid-range bucket in the first half...knocked it down, looked pretty nice. He's a good cutter, he's shown that already. We had him for a nice lob, he just got fouled. So, we'll chip away at it. The nice thing about summer league is: doesn't really matter what the result is, it's more important they have some things to watch on film tomorrow, which we will."

On the other side of things, the 76ers saw a super strong performance from third-overall pick VJ Edgecombe, who finished with 28 points on 13/27 shooting, along with 10 rebounds and four assists in the mix as well. With nearly 30 shots to his name, it's proof that the Jazz have a chance to get their top-five pick more involved in the game plan, and should be an aspect to keep an eye on moving forward for Utah.

Ace Bailey reacts to day one in the NBA.

All smiles from the @UtahJazz rookie.#TakeNote | @benshoops pic.twitter.com/43QUfHBAtf
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 6, 2025

Bailey and the rest of the Jazz will have a couple more games to get underway in Salt Lake City against the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder, before they and the other 29 teams in the league all head to Las Vegas for summer league action later this week.