Son of Ace Bailey's Manager Serving as Guest Coach for Jazz at NBA Summer League

Omar Cooper Jr., the son of Ace Bailey's manager Omar Cooper, is reportedly working as a guest coach for the Utah Jazz during this year's Summer League, according to Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune and Tony Jones of the The Athletic.

Given Bailey's unusual approach to the predraft process—which largely seemed steered by Cooper, who is not an NBPA-accredited agent—Wednesday's news is likely to raise a few eyebrows.

Bailey didn't take a single visit with any NBA teams ahead of June's draft. He reportedly went so far as to tell one team in the top five that he wouldn't report if it drafted him, per ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Tim Bontemps.

Per that report, "The way Bailey, a projected top-three pick for much of the season, and his team managed the draft process indicated to rival teams that they had a preferred destination in mind—with, for many, that destination being the Washington Wizards with the No. 6 pick."

That was of no concern to Utah, which selected him at No. 5. Bailey later confirmed to Sarah Todd of the Deseret News that his approach to the predraft process was guided by the management team around him.

Todd added: "According to league sources, it is Cooper who declined and cancelled workouts with lottery teams, it was Cooper that had a preferred shortlist of teams he wanted to get Bailey to—a decision that could have cost Bailey upwards of $10 million if he had dropped down to the No. 8 pick."

Cooper also reportedly created some doubt as to whether Bailey would report to the Jazz for the team's summer-league training camp, per Todd, though he was in Utah over the weekend, seemingly putting any of those concerns to bed.

As for the player himself, the upside is undoubtedly tantalizing. The B/R NBA Staff compared Bailey to Michael Porter Jr. in its scouting report, noting that both are "big wings who can play multiple offensive positions" and that "shotmaking is their moneymaker. Neither excels at getting downhill or defending, but both can score in a variety of ways, including above the rim and beyond the arc."

But Bailey can also be a bit of a black hole on offense, looking for his own shot rather than his teammates. The B/R NBA staff noted that he "operates with a low-percentage, high-difficulty shot selection, and he's turnover prone."

The Jazz can afford to roll the dice on such a prospect, as they desperately need young talents to build around. Lauri Markkanen is a very good player, but he's 28 and likely will be traded at some point for additional draft assets and younger players.

The Jazz have plenty of young players, but beyond Keyonte George and Walker Kessler, none have truly popped at this point. Long-term, both George and Kessler seem more like solid role players than true stars).

Bailey has that star upside, but it remains to be seen if he'll reach it. The beginning of his NBA career has certainly included a few eyebrow-raising decisions, seemingly at the behest of Cooper.