Throughout the draft process, Ace Bailey has been a main talking point. A few months ago, many people projected Bailey to be a lock at the third overall pick. However, this draft process has significantly reduced his stock. To start, Bailey has declined to work out for any NBA team. He thinks that his college tape is enough, and teams shouldn’t need to see him work out in person. Ace and his camp have also come out and said that Bailey wants a team where there is a clear path to stardom. This is something that NBA GMs do not want to hear from a guy that they want to invest in. So, what teams fit the criteria to take a chance on Bailey? This article will mention the three best landing spots for Ace, specific to fantasy basketball. Let’s get into it.
Ranking Ace Bailey’s Best Landing Spots for Fantasy Basketball
3) Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers slot into third for Bailey’s best landing spots. The Blazers have a lot of scorers who are good, but not great. With Bailey’s potential, I think that he can fit in as the top-scoring option as a rookie. Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, and Anfernee Simons are all solid options. But if Bailey can tap into his potential, he can jump everyone as the best scorer on this team. With Avdija and Toumani Camara, their wing depth is very good, and Bailey might find himself coming off the bench. But this isn’t necessarily the worst thing. I like the Blazers as an underrated landing spot for Bailey for fantasy basketball.
2) Washington Wizards
The second-best landing spot for Bailey would be the Washington Wizards. They lack a long-term scoring wing with defensive upside. For the time being, they do have Khris Middleton to fill that role, but Bailey can benefit from watching a guy like Middleton. Notably, Middleton is a tough bucket getter who can get down on the defensive end, the perfect player archetype for Bailey. Jordan Poole is the main initiator and scorer for this team currently, but there’s nobody really behind him. Bub Carrington showed some flashes, and Bilal Coulibaly is a more defensive-minded wing. Bailey can step in and immediately get plays for this current Wizards team, making them the second-best landing spot for fantasy basketball.
1) Utah Jazz
The number one landing spot for Bailey is the Utah Jazz. The Jazz check most, if not all, of the boxes to take the scoring wing at fifth overall. The Jazz desperately need an on-ball scorer with defensive upside with their current core. They tried to fill that need last year by drafting Cody Williams, but he has, quite frankly, just not looked NBA-ready yet. The Jazz would also give Bailey a ton of opportunity to showcase his talent, as there is no real number two option behind Lauri Markkanen. The Jazz and Danny Ainge have some big decisions to make in the draft and throughout the offseason. I don’t know whether they would take the chance on Bailey, but this would be the best spot for fantasy basketball.
The Last Word
Overall, Ace Bailey has questionably gone about his draft process at best. But, teams will still be willing to take a swing at the very talented player that he is. For fantasy basketball, the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, and Portland Trail Blazers would be very good landing spots for Bailey. I also think that the Brooklyn Nets would be considered in that conversation as well.
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