Utah Jazz #5 decide faces tendonitis scare forward of NBA debut

Main as much as the beginning of the 2025-26 NBA season, Ace Bailey has put collectively two spectacular preseason performances back-to-back, scoring 20 factors in opposition to the San Antonio Spurs and 25 factors in opposition to the Houston Rockets.

Regardless of that, Bailey exited Monday’s sport in opposition to Dallas after simply 11 minutes, leaving followers fearing the worst. Whereas coach Will Hardy downplayed the scenario after Utah’s 114-101 loss, his replace has sparked concern:

“He is received some tendonitis in each knees. It is nothing that we’re overly involved with. He is not going to be getting imaged or something like that. It is simply making an attempt to deal with him. He was a little bit sore throughout his second stint.”

Whereas it would not sound like Utah is overly nervous in regards to the scenario, the truth that Bailey is coping with tendonitis at simply 19 years of age has left loads of Jazz followers involved.

Utah is about to play its closing preseason sport on Thursday in opposition to the Portland Path Blazers earlier than the group’s common season suggestions off on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

Whereas it is unclear whether or not Bailey will play in opposition to Portland on Thursday, the expectation is that he’ll be good to go for Utah’s common season opener in opposition to the Clippers subsequent week.

Jazz coach Will Hardy dishes on Ace Bailey’s knee harm

Heading into Monday’s preseason showdown between the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks, followers have been desperate to see Ace Bailey battle it out with No. 1 decide Cooper Flagg.

Whereas Ace Bailey exited the sport after simply 11 minutes of motion, Flagg went on to document 11 factors on 3-13 from the sphere whereas contributing seven rebounds, two blocks, and two steals over simply 21 minutes of motion.

After the loss, coach Will Hardy defined that the teaching workers seen Bailey grabbing at his knees early within the sport. Contemplating the No. 5 decide had been coping with some minor soreness main as much as the sport, the scenario led to Jazz coaches having a dialogue with him:

“He was reaching for his knees a little bit bit and shifting a little bit bit gingerly, and so then the dialog occurs, and considered one of Ace’s finest qualities is he’s very sincere, so we simply felt like tonight it was finest to drag him and get some remedy.”

Whereas Ace Bailey wound up taking part in simply 11 minutes, Utah had Lauri Markkanen and Kyle Filipowski return to motion for Monday’s sport, which is a promising signal for Utah followers heading into the beginning of the season.