Heading into the 2025-26 NBA regular season, most eyes were on Dallas Mavericks' top pick Cooper Flagg to be the far-and-away favorite to take home this year's Rookie of the Year award, and among the few dark horses lingering in the background, had Utah Jazz fifth-overall pick Ace Bailey as a eye-catching candidate to watch.

Ace Bailey had himself a bizarre night. The Utah Jazz rookie is a promising player after going No. 5 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft out of Rutgers. This was not one of his better nights. Bailey fouled out in almost no time at all. He was out of the game so much that fans were wondering whether he was injured.

Utah Jazz podcast analyzes Ace Bailey’s fast development, Keyonte George’s growth, team defensive trends, and NBA updates. Locked On Jazz insights.

One of those names in the building who's seen those strong traits out of Bailey in recent weeks is third-year Jazz guard Keyonte George, who spoke about what he's seen from the fifth-overall pick so far after their latest loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, highlighting the impact he can make not just offensively, but on the other end as well.

Ace Bailey made his first NBA start for the Utah Jazz Monday night. Bailey impressed with 10 points 7 rebounds and a highlight reverse dunk. Coach Hardy praised Bailey's athleticism and ability to learn quickly.

Jazz rookie Ace Bailey steals the spotlight with a monster dunk on Anthony Edwards in Utah’s tough loss to Minnesota.

Since being moved to the starting lineup, Bailey is averaging 13.8 points per game, shooting over 50% from the field, and probably showing at least one flash play a game on the offensive side of the ball that makes you excited for what he'll have in store for the near future.

At such a young age — he recently turned 19 — Bailey has plenty of time for his game to develop. But in less than 10 NBA games, he’s shown that he might be able to see the game better than was ever thought based on what he did at Rutgers. Making quick decisions and processing situations at a rapid pace could end up being one of his greatest assets.

Kevin Love's primary piece of advice to Ace Bailey is simple yet profound: embrace the challenge of being a rookie. Love emphasizes the steep learning curve that accompanies entering the NBA, encouraging Bailey to stay centered amidst the noise of expectations.

There was another 20-point game in the Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper jump from Rutgers to the NBA so far this basketball season.

Lakers center Deandre Ayton was injured in the first quarter Sunday when Jazz rookie Ace Bailey collided with his right knee.