Fifth-overall pick Ace Bailey has gotten his feet wet with some NBA regular season minutes amid the first two games of the Utah Jazz' s campaign, where they've wound up with an even 1-1 record in the books.

The Utah Jazz aren't exactly title contenders, but at least they’ll try to win when and what they can this year. That's a step in the right direction, Tribune columnist Gordon Monson writes.

The Utah Jazz will be hosting a season opener celebration at the Delta Center ahead of Wednesday night's game.

In those healthy preseason games, Bailey averaged 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game on 65.5% from the floor and 40% from three-point range. In the regular season, those numbers are 1.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.

The Utah Jazz are expected to be one of the worst teams in the NBA this season — but they certainly didn't look like it on opening night.

The Utah Jazz are hoping to land the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and AJ Dybantsa is making a strong case to head to Salt Lake City.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/jazz as Walt Clayton Jr. Has Surprising Takeaway From First Utah Jazz Game. The Utah Jazz, in the first two games of their 2025-26 NBA season thus far, have gotten an early glimpse of what to expect from their pair of rookie talents in Ace Bailey and Walt Clayton Jr.

Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan said on Tuesday night that load management "shouldn't be needed" for players competing in the NBA presently.

The Philadelphia 76ers have been one of the best stories of the season so far. Led by a dynamic young backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, the Sixers are one of four undefeated teams. Still, 2022-23 MVP Joel Embiid is on a minutes restriction, and nine-time All-Star Paul George has yet to play as he recovers from knee surgery.

Jordan is far from the only legend of his era to criticize load management, but trying to compare the two eras is like comparing apples and oranges. The game was far more physical in Jordan's era, but the game is much faster today, and more demanding even without the level of physicality that existed in the '80s and '90s.