Leading up to the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, Ace Bailey has given two impressive preseason performances, scoring 20 points against the San Antonio Spurs and 25 points against the Houston Rockets.
Big worries for Ace Bailey
Despite that, Bailey took an exit from Monday's game against Dallas after just 11 minutes, leaving fans fearing for the worst. While coach Will Hardy downplayed the situation after Utah's 114-101 defeat, his update has sparked concern:
“He's got some tendonitis in both knees. 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.”
While it does not sound like Utah is worried about the circumstance, given the fact Bailey is dealing with tendonitis at just 19 years of age has left plenty of Jazz fans concerned.
Utah will play their final preseason game on Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers before the team's regular season kicks off on Wednesday, October 22.
While it is not certain whether Bailey will play against Portland on Thursday. Although, the expectation is that he will be good to go for Utah's regular season opener against the Clippers next week.
Jazz coach Will Hardy dishes on Ace Bailey's injury
Going to Monday's preseason clash between the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks, fans were eager to see Ace Bailey battle it out with No.1 pick Cooper Flagg.
While Ace Bailey took exit from the game after just 11 minutes, Flagg went on to record 11 points 3-13 from the field while contributing seven rebounds, two blocks, and two steals over just 21 minutes of action.
Following the defeat, Coach Will Hardy said that the coaching staff noticed Bailey grabbing his knees early in the game. Considering the No.5 pick had been dealing with some soreness leading up to the game, the situation led to Jazz coaches having a discussions with him:
“He was reaching for his knees a little bit and moving a little bit gingerly, and so then the conversation happens, and one of Ace’s best qualities is he’s very honest, so we just felt like tonight it was best to pull him and get some treatment.”
While Ace Bailey wound up playing just 11 minutes, Utah had Lauri Markkanen and Kyle Filipowski return to action for Monday's game, which is a great sign for Utah fans heading into the start of the season.