Ace Bailey reveals his welcome to the NBA reality after Will Hardy’s bench

The Utah Jazz got an early-season reminder of rookie growing pains from a quarterback Ace Baileywho recently described his “welcome to the NBA” moment after the head coach benched him Will Hardy.

As the Jazz (10-19) continue to lead a challenging start to the seasonBailey reflected on an early lesson delivered just minutes after one of his first NBA assignments. Speaking in the latest episode of Mladic i troje, the newcomer explained how quickly the responsibility came to the professional level.

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

Bailey added that moment came against one of the league’s top scorers during an early season game with Phoenix.

“I was guarding D-Book. It was Phoenix. First game against D-Book. That was my first time against him. I watched film, I think film was enough. I should have gotten ready the night before. I mean, it’s D-Book, so it’s like me going in, not knowing the physicality of the game. It’s different.”

Jazz rookie Ace Bailey learns a 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 elimination, Utah secured a 138-134 overtime victory. Bailey finished with six points, one rebound and one assist, shooting 2-for-9 from the field and 2-for-5 from three in 14 minutes.

Devin Booker logged heavy minutes in the contest, playing 44 minutes and scoring 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.

Although the stat line from that night was modest, the experience became a defining moment for Bailey as he adjusted to the defensive demands and physicality of the league. Selected 5th overall in the 2025 NBA DraftBailey 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 game.

Utah will try to end a four-game losing streak when they host the Detroit Pistons (24-6) on Friday night at 9:30 PM ET.