NBA Notes: Jazz, Ace Bailey, Knicks, Mike Brown, Rockets

Jazz

The final score didn’t matter much in Utah’s preseason opener, not when Ace Bailey looked like the best player on the floor.

The No. 5 overall pick put on a show in his Jazz debut, scoring 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting with six rebounds, three assists, and two steals in a loss to the Rockets. Among those impressed: Rockets star Kevin Durant.

“Dynamic player,” Durant said, via The Salt Lake Tribune’s Andy Larsen. “I think he’s going to be a hell of a player. I love the coaching staff that he’s with. I love that he got drafted to Utah; they’ve got a good development program over there that I’m looking forward to seeing how he progresses. I’m expecting a big year from him and a big career.”

Bailey, 19, was long viewed as one of the most polished prospects in his class, and early signs point to him fitting right into Utah’s young core alongside Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George.

Knicks

The Knicks are still getting used to Mike Brown’s new system, but so far, the buy-in seems strong.

“Makes it easier for us players when they talk to us, because any coach you talk to, you’re going to hear the same thing,” forward Mikal Bridges said, via SNY’s Ian Begley. “He and his coaches, they all run a tight ship. You can tell that whatever we’re doing out there, they’re all on the same page, no matter what the situation is.”

Brown isn’t sweating preseason wins or losses just yet.

“Right now, I don’t care if we win or lose, as long as we keep trying to play the right way and trust it,” he said. “I want them to learn how to play basketball the right way offensively within our staples.

“That’s pace… spacing the right way all the time. Hey, it hits your hands, shoot it, pass it, snap drive it to try to collapse the defense. Those are things that we believe in.”

It’ll take time, but it already sounds like Brown’s message is getting through.

Rockets

Veteran forward Jae’Sean Tate hasn’t seen the court yet this preseason, but he’s eyeing the Rockets’ Oct. 21 opener against the Thunder as his return date.

Tate had offseason surgery on his right ankle to fix an impingement that cost him Houston’s playoff run. Now, after months of rehab, he’s starting to feel whole again.

“I’m going day by day,” Tate said, via the Houston Chronicle’s Danielle Lerner. “I feel like I’ve been on a leg and a half the last couple of years, so looking to just be able to move a little better, not be in my head about it. And, yeah, I can’t wait.”

Coach Ime Udoka said Tate is slightly ahead of Dorian Finney-Smith in his recovery timeline. Both are expected to play key defensive roles once healthy.

Tate, who re-signed on a one-year deal this summer, said he never seriously considered leaving.

“I believe in the staff, I believe in everything here,” he said. “It wouldn’t sit right with me to leave, especially now, with the pieces we’ve added. I’m excited to see what we can do.”