Ace Bailey injury update is bad news for Jazz rookie

Ace Bailey's rookie season hit a bit of a roadblock on Friday night.

The Utah Jazz forward left their game with injury and would not return.

The Jazz ruled Bailey out officially with a left hip flexor strain.

It's not ideal for Bailey in a stretch where he was really started to play well.

In Utah's last game before Christmas, Bailey put up 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including 3-for-5 from 3. He entered Friday night having scored double-digit points in four consecutive games.

For the season, Bailey has started 20 of the 29 games he has played in. He's shooting 44.1% from the floor, 35.7% from 3 and 66.7% from the foul line.

Bailey has averaged 10.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.7 steals per game.

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The 19-year old, 6-foot-9 forward from Rutgers was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

There are still aspects of Bailey's game that are lacking, but he also clearly has plenty of scoring skill.

The Jazz will hope this hip injury doesn't linger too long so they can get Bailey back out on the floor to try and keep his development going in a positive direction.

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