Utah Jazz rookie Ace Bailey features a bright future. However, Jazz head coach Will Hardy recently revealed that the 2025 No. 5 overall pick is dealing with knee injuries. Hardy added that the team is not “overly concerned” about the issues, though.
“He's got some tendonitis in both knees,” Hardy said, via Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. “It's nothing that we're overly concerned with. He's not going to be getting imaged or anything like that. It's just trying to take care of him. He was a little sore during his second stint.”
The Jazz will enter the 2025-26 campaign with uncertainty on the roster. Bailey's injuries only add another element to that uncertainty. The good news is that the injuries don't seem to be too serious.
Still, Utah will closely monitor the situation.
Bailey has a high ceiling. If he lives up to his potential, Bailey could become one of the better Jazz players of all-time. Of course, he has yet to officially play in an NBA regular season game, so it will be interesting to see how Bailey adjusts to the league.
The Jazz lost to the Dallas Mavericks 114-101 on Monday night in a preseason contest. Bailey started the game but was limited to only 11 minutes played — scoring three points on 1-5 shooting from the field.
Utah will play one more preseason matchup — a Thursday clash against the Portland Trail Blazers — before beginning the regular season on October 22 against the Los Angeles Clippers. Updates will continue to be provided on Ace Bailey's injury status as they are made available.