Ace Bailey Shines As Jazz Move To 2-0 In Summer League
Jul 7, 2025, 11:27 PM | Updated: Jul 8, 2025, 2:02 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – Ace Bailey offered an intriguing glimpse of his upside as the Utah Jazz downed the Memphis Grizzlies 112-111.
The Jazz erased a first-half double-digit deficit and beat the Grizzlies by mere inches after officials ruled that GG Jackson’s buzzer-beating heave was a two-pointer instead of a three.
Related: Jazz Trade John Collins To Clippers
Ace Bailey Shows Upside With Impressive Outing
After an up-and-down debut on Saturday night, Bailey reminded viewers on Monday why he was universally regarded as one of the premier talents in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The fifth overall pick laced together a series of deep threes and athletic dunks en route to a 17-point outing on 7-14 shooting, including 3-5 from beyond the arc.
But even more impressive was Bailey’s work on the glass and his ability to find teammates for easy looks.
The first-year wing recorded seven rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass, leading to three monster dunks in the halfcourt.
No. 5 pick Ace Bailey was impressive in the @utahjazz Salt Lake City Summer League W 🙌
18 PTS
7 REB
3 AST
3 3PM pic.twitter.com/AYYuqJcZ75— NBA (@NBA) July 8, 2025
“I don’t know how many second-chance points he had tonight,” Jazz summer league coach Scott Morrison said, “he had at least two putback dunks, if not more than that.”
Bailey also added three assists, a feat he achieved only six times in his 30 appearances at Rutgers.
The rookie’s performance even drew the attention of Jazz head coach Will Hardy, who pulled Bailey aside multiple times through the game to talk about his play.
“I mean, at 18, he called me over to let me know I had a big role,” Bailey said of the conversation. “I had a big, big role. So I’ve just got to fulfill the roles — he’s got trust in me.”
While it’s incredibly early in his development, Bailey’s improvement from game one to game two was notable, and with his raw tools and natural basketball ability, the sky is the limit.
Jazz Vets Offer Mixed Results In Game Two
Despite a few impressive stat lines, Monday’s win left a lot to be desired from the Jazz’s second and third-year players.
Brice Sensabaugh scored an eye-popping 37 points on just 14 field goal attempts, but every basket was like a struggle.
The third-year wing shot an impressive 6-9 from the three-point line, but committed five turnovers, six personal fouls, and earned a technical foul out of frustration early in the game.
Sensabaugh’s shooting is elite, even by NBA standards, but with his summer league likely coming to an end on Monday, he’ll have to flesh out the rest of his game to have a more consistent role with the Jazz next season.
Brice Sensabaugh on what he hopes to take from Summer League. #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/ZnyNyw63tu
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 8, 2025
“As a guy that’s coming up on his third year, and I’ve got a lot of younger guys under me, [I’m] kind of leading by example and showing them what it really takes to be a professional.”
Isaiah Collier earned his second consecutive start, but didn’t close the game as the Jazz coaching staff went with rookie Walt Clayton Jr. over the sophomore guard late in the fourth quarter.
Collier recorded 13 points and five assists on 5-8 shooting, but had five turnovers of his own to go with four fouls.
After a slow start, Clayton found his rhythm in the second half and helped the Jazz escape with the victory.
“Tonight, we had to take him out of the game in the first half because he was a little too nonchalant,” Morrison said of the rookie guard. “But then we don’t win the game without him in the second half, and he was the guy we wanted to go to down the stretch.”
that rookie-to-rookie connection 🤝 pic.twitter.com/q9WXACbPlO
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) July 8, 2025
Clayon finished with a modest four points, six assists, and six turnovers, but had a team-high +11 plus-minus in just 24 minutes.
“He’s capable of being a really good floor general and playmaker,” Morrison added. “He had a couple of big steals as well, but he’s got a bring it from the first moment that he checks in the game.”
Cody Williams was the team’s steadiest veteran, adding 18 points and two rebounds on 6-10 shooting, while Kyle Filipowski recorded a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds despite shooting 4-12 from the floor.
Jazz Conclude Salt Lake Summer League On Wednesday
The Jazz will play their final game of the Salt Lake City Summer League on Wednesday night before traveling to Las Vegas for a 10-day stint.
July 8: Salt Lake City
Jazz vs. Thunder – 7 p.m. KJZZ
July 11: Vegas
Jazz vs. Hornets – 5 p.m. ESPN
July 13: Vegas
Jazz vs. Warriors – 8 p.m. ESPN2
July 14: Vegas
Jazz vs. Spurs – 6:30 p.m. NBATV
July 16: Vegas
Jazz vs. Wizards – 8 p.m. ESPN
Additional games will be played on July 18, 19, and 20.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
