Jazz rookie Ace Bailey reveals welcome to NBA reality check after Will Hardy benching

The Utah Jazz received an early-season reminder of rookie growing pains from guard Ace Bailey, who recently detailed his “welcome to the NBA” moment after being benched by head coach Will Hardy.

As the Jazz (10-19) continue to navigate a challenging start to the season, Bailey reflected on an early lesson delivered just minutes into one of his first NBA assignments. Speaking on the latest episode of The Young Man & The Three, the rookie explained how quickly accountability arrived at the professional level.

“Will took me out in the first five minutes. I wasn’t playing defense. I was like wow. You don’t play defense you can’t play at all.”

Bailey added that the moment came against one of the league’s most established scorers during an early-season matchup with Phoenix.

“I was guarding D-Book. It was Phoenix. First game vs. D-Book. That was my first time vs. him. Me watching film, I’m thinking film was enough. I should’ve been preparing the night before that. I mean it’s D-Book so it’s just like me coming in, not knowing the physicality of the game. It’s different.”

Jazz rookie Ace Bailey learns lesson guarding Devin Booker

The benching occurred during the Jazz’s third game of the season on Oct. 27 at the Delta Center. Despite Bailey’s early removal, Utah secured a 138–134 overtime win. Bailey finished with six points, one rebound and one assist, shooting 2-for-9 from the field and 2-for-5 from three-point range in 14 minutes.

Devin Booker logged heavy minutes in the contest, playing 44 minutes and producing 34 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and a block. Booker shot 11-for-26 from the field, 5-for-12 from beyond the arc and 7-for-12 at the free-throw line.

While the stat line from that night was modest, the experience became a defining moment for Bailey as he adjusted to the league’s defensive demands and physicality. Selected No. 5 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, Bailey has appeared in 29 games this season with 20 starts. He is averaging 10.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from three-point range in 24.2 minutes per contest.

Utah will look to halt a four-game losing streak when it hosts the Detroit Pistons (24-6) at 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday night.

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