Jason Terry knows a thing or two about excelling as a shooter.
The longtime NBA veteran played 19 seasons in the league, winning the Sixth Man of the Year award during the 2008-09 season. Terry ended his career as a 38.0% shooter from beyond the arc, shooting a career-high 43.8% from 3-point range during the 2006-07 season when the Dallas Mavericks posted the league's best record at 67-15.
Terry currently serves as an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz, a role he's played since the 2022-23 season. One of the Jazz's most promising young players is none other than Ace Bailey, who was their top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Bailey was selected with the fifth overall pick in the draft after averaging 17.6 points per game during his lone season at Rutgers.
Through the first half of the season, the 6-foot-9 Bailey has played a key role in the rotation for the Jazz, averaging 11.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in 49 games and 38 starts. Terry has high hopes for Bailey, even comparing him to Hall of Fame guard Ray Allen when it comes to his quick release.
Allen was a 10-time All-Star who is regarded as one of the best 3-point shooters ever.
“There's no limit for Ace Bailey, because he's a blank canvas,” Terry said in a one-on-one interview. “He's only 19 years old. He's coming in. He's raw, but he has supreme athleticism and his ability to shoot — he can be one of the great shooters from long range, when it's all said and done. He has a quick release, and he gets it off. He gets it off quick, kind of like a Ray Allen type release. He doesn't jump as high. But as far as getting that shot off, he gets it off pretty quick.”
So far this season, Bailey is converting on 45.0% of his attempts and 34.0% of his 3-point shots. Terry said where Bailey will excel at when it comes to his 3-point attempts is “coming off screens on pin downs” and shooting 3-pointers in transition.
Bailey obviously has a long ways to go before he's even considered in the same league as Allen, but he's receiving key playing time as part of a rebuilding effort in Utah. The 19-year-old ranks fourth in points and fifth in 3-pointers made on the Jazz.
With that being said, Bailey only spent one year in college. Furthermore, he'll have all of the time in the world to develop considering Utah is in clear rebuilding mode. At 18-38, they're currently 13th in the Western Conference after posting the worst record in the NBA last season at 17-65.
The sky is certainly the limit for the 6-foot-9 small forward.
