The concept of, "yes, and..." with Amari Bailey
Bailey flourished with UCLA throughout the season, and a big part of his growth is his style of basketball improvisation.
Improvisational theater, or improv — with roots that trace back to 391 BC — is a partly, or often entirely, unscripted version of acting, in which performers act based on a prompt, a character, or some other idea to get ideas flowing, in which their creative talent is put first and foremost.
It’s a completely different kind of theater than any other, largely because of its heavy reliance on the creativity of the actors. In movies, plays, or even literature what the characters and actors do is based entirely off of what the author or director deems is appropriate for their specific character to do in that moment. In improv, it’s driven by whatever the actor thinks will keeps the scene interesting.
The engine for this is a concept dubbed, “yes, and…” which is utilized in almost every line of improvisational theater. It’s meant to allow the actors to naturally want to build off of the last line of dialogue, whether it’s responding to a question or adding additional information or context to the scene, “yes, and…” is the catalyst for the creative medium of improvisational theater, and a technique UCLA freshman, Amari Bailey, utilized in his day-to-day as an electric and efficient scoring guard for the Bruins.
This style of planned unpredictability made Bailey one of the hardest covers amongst this year’s freshman class, and combined with a creative handle, a will to be free, and dynamic athletic traits, helped him blossom into a potential first round pick in the NBA draft in the next week.
Amari started to gain some semblance of basketball fame during his junior year of high school, and although he was already a top ten recruit, peaking as high as second overall in the class of 2022, he gained a lot of notoriety when Bronny James, son of LeBron James and projected first-round pick out of USC in 2024, joined Sierra Canyon’s varsity team.
Amari immediately began to pop as one of the biggest names in high school, garnering hundreds of thousands of social media followers and countless internet highlight reels from major outlets. His brand of basketball was highlighted by explosive athletic plays around the rim and in transition, as well as a shifty handle, and a southpaw jumper.
He would commit to UCLA on February 17th, 2021, prior to their incredible run to the Final Four as an 11th seed, which would conclude in a heartbreaking loss to Gonzaga, 93-90, by what will go down as one of the greatest game-winners in tournament history by at-the-time future top five pick, Jalen Suggs.
Amari Bailey would come in with big shoes to fill, following the departure of 2021 All-NCAA Tournament member and bucket-getter, Johnny Juzang, who is now with the Utah Jazz on a two-way deal. Not to mention, the number of guards UCLA has produced over the past fifteen years who have turned into All-Stars during their careers, with some of the most notable names being Russell Westbrook (nine-time All-Star), Jrue Holiday (two-time), and Zach LaVine (two-time).
Somewhat unsurprisingly, Bailey shares some traits with this short list of players, especially the 2014 NBA draft’s 13th overall selection, Zach LaVine. Both Bailey and Zach are excellent athletes at the two-guard position, flying high above the rim, and getting downhill at speeds few possess on frequent occasions. Bailey is a bit behind LaVine, during the time of his freshman season at UCLA, as a perimeter shot-creator, but has traits as a defender and playmaker that LaVine didn’t tap into much with the Bruins.
Amari’s style of play, as I’ve mentioned, is very akin to that of improvisational theater, in mostly all the right ways. As you climb the ladder from high school, to college, and eventually NBA in Amari’s case, the game speeds up tremendously, and while it’s great to have a plan, any player at the highest level is skilled enough to throw a wrench into it. That’s why having the ability to react quickly and squeeze as much out of you can out of that decision is paramount to NBA success, especially as a perimeter scorer.
The clip linked here, as well as the quote below, is from New Orleans Saints defensive end, Cameron Jordan, and while it pertains to American football, I think the sentiment holds strong with the topic I’m tackling here — as well with all of basketball — about the speed of the game, and quick decisions.
“A fast wrong decision could be a right decision, and a fast right decision…you’re a winner. And a slow right decision, get your a** on the bench.”
This quote alone encapsulates what I’ve come to love about Amari Bailey. He makes quick decisions, and even if they aren’t always the “right” decision, I’ll take somebody who can think on their feet and figure it out over someone who takes time to process and always makes the textbook play.
Let’s go through some clips of Amari playing and thinking on his feet, and approach it with the mentality of “yes, and…” as he works his way to improbable buckets and assists.
We’ll start with a play in transition. Amari’s attacking a two-on-two which sees him coming down the left side of the court, with two defenders between him and his teammate. As he crosses the half court line, he gets between the two defenders, putting Northwestern’s number two on his left hip. As he crosses the free throw line, he feels pressure coming from behind, but notices that the defender in front of him is hesitant to commit.
So, does Amari handle the pressure? Yes, and he does so by slowing down to stop the defenders momentum, picking up his dribble, and taking an explosive step towards the rim and into the defender on his hip, before dropping in the lefty runner.
Plays like this take excellent balance, proprioception, and of course, the ability to react quickly and make a quick decision, whether it be right or wrong. The “right” decision in most cases would be to flip the ball to number four under the basket for a layup, but instead he makes a play for himself, and it turns into points regardless.
Let’s take a look at another clip from the same game versus Northwestern. This time, it’s a half-court set that’s aim is to get Jaime Jaquez Jr. a post touch, set up by a screen action to get Amari the ball on the strong side. This time, we’re going to look at the alternative of “yes, and…” called, as you’ve probably guessed, “no, but…” and see how Amari makes a play.
So, is Amari able to get the ball down low to Jaquez Jr.? No, as there are two defenders in his space, but he does read his defender’s momentum going towards the left sideline, and decides to go back around Adem Bona in an impromptu pick ‘n’ roll. Bona’s defender that was initially helping on Jaime comes up, and Amari quickly snakes around him, getting him on his right hip and finishing once again with his strong hand.
These types of plays come from just knowing how to read a defender quickly, and was created by Amari’s ability to notice that there was nothing there on a potential entry pass and immediately make a move accounting for his defender’s momentum. When he starts to come back towards the middle of the floor, all five Bruins are at least somewhat on the strongside, but his ability to work in tight situations, and use his own teammate’s bodies to create an advantage for himself is masterful quick decision making, and the definition of “basketball improv”.
One more clip to showcase Amari’s scoring, and then we’ll move on to passing. This time, we’re going to be looking at an isolation possession, to help showcase what Amari is able to create without a screen in the half court.
This play starts out with a good amount of swinging along the perimeter following an offensive rebound, until Bailey eventually decides to reset, and bring the ball up to above the right hash. He walks up to the three point line, sizing up his defender, before exploding out of a between-the-legs move into a right-to-left crossover.
So, after attacking Amari delivers a good shoulder bump at the free throw line into a behind the back, but does he create something further from there? Yes, and he does so while exercising an ability to be patient quickly, reading for help in the middle of the floor, seeing none, and giving a final power dribble and shoulder bump to get his defender slightly off balance before quickly rising for the lefty floater.
All the shots I’ve shown you have been left handed, which makes sense, given that it’s Amari’s strong hand, but he will need to develop a right hand to some extent in the NBA. The types of shots in the clip above will be better defended by stronger and longer athletes at the next level, making it ill-advised to rise up from a stand-still with the ball on the same side as the nearest defender.
However, I’m willing to trust Amari to develop his weakhand, and given his touch around the rim with his right, I think it’s a rather safe bet. The touch from range is another issue, and while his raw three-point shooting was nice — shooting 38.9% on all threes, and 48.1% on unguarded catch-and-shoot attempts (only 27 attempts) — the indicators, like his volume (3.0 three point attempts per 75 possessions) and free throw percentage (69.8% on 63 attempts) leave a good amount to be desired.
While Amari is capable of creating a shot in a tight window from practically anywhere on the court, his ability to knock down these shots, especially from range is going to be the swing factor on his upside as a scorer. He’ll be able to generate rim pressure no matter what, and as we’re about to dive into, he’ll be able to make plays for others, but there are specific scoring limitations that show up, despite clear upside.
Amari Bailey: the playmaker, was something that showed up in bursts and flashes for UCLA. Veterans, Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. were the main pieces in the Bruins offense for the vast majority of the year, and as such were their two leaders in assists per game and usage, although Amari Bailey was a close third in both, even outranking Jaquez Jr. in assist percentage.
He was the team’s pseudo-backup point guard of sorts, running the offense when Campbell went to the bench for stretches, as UCLA lacked a legitimate playmaker who was good enough to get consistent minutes in their second unit.
We’re going to start this off again with an assist in transition. Amari immediately notices Adem Bona streaking down the court, but continues to push it, waiting for the defense to commit to someone, as he also sees David Singleton filling in the corner with nobody attached to him.
So, does the defense commit? Yes, and Amari helped their decision by looking towards Singleton for a split second, drawing the Northwestern big man’s momentum outside for just a split second before Amari delivers the beautiful no-look pass for the dunk.
This is a textbook example of manipulation, as Amari recognizes the easiest shot he could get is an Adem Bona dunk, and knows that the way to getting that was to get the low defender to peel off of Bona. He uses his eyes in this example, something all great playmakers do consistently, and it works exactly as he planned.
Another example against Northwestern, whom Bailey had six assists against in the second round of the NCAA tournament, this time, showcasing his entry passing. The whole game saw UCLA running post-up offense for Jaime Jaquez Jr. as he utilized quick and concise footwork to dominate Northwestern down low.
Tyger Campbell eventually gets the ball and swings it to Bailey in what is now a crowded strong side where Jaquez is trying to post-up.
So, is Amari able to get the ball down low? Yes, and he does so expertly, by swinging it down low before the defense can fully react to him receiving the ball. Jaquez Jr.’s defender rotates to Jaime’s top side and this allows Bailey to find his outstretched left hand, leading his teammate’s momentum towards the basket for the lay-in.
Ball placement and comfortability making quick passes is just as important as anything when evaluating a good player, and Amari showcased it specifically, especially on these types of entry passes.
One last clip before we wrap things up. This time, it’s against Maryland and their 3-2 zone. Bailey catches a pass from Campbell up top, and Amari immediately begins reading action on the baseline, looking for an opening. There’s three defenders up top, creating a soft wall for Amari and Tyger, as the low-defender on the right plays help on Jaquez Jr., and the man on the left plays Bona.
So, does Amari find something good against this zone? Yes, and he throws a nice skip pass to the right corner, finding Singleton for the catch-and-shoot three. He quickly noticed that there was nobody playing the corners, as the defense was pointing out matchups and rotations, yet nobody took account of Singleton running baseline, so Amari punishes them.
This, and the last play for that matter, isn’t necessarily “basketball improv”, rather it’s just a great play that I want to highlight. Amari’s a talented passer who, while his playmaking role was somewhat limited at UCLA, made the most of the reps he got where he was allowed to find teammates and initiate offense. He helped aid this assertion during the combine, where he was excellent as a playmaker, showcasing more in the pick ‘n’ roll than he got to show with the Bruins.
I hesitate to say he’s a point guard, because that’s pretty much never been his role outside of stretches for practically all of his high school and collegiate career. However, passing isn’t just a point guard skill anymore, as offenses have evolved and allowed players to excel in more non-traditional roles. Amari classifies more as a combo-guard, or more specifically, a playmaking two, who can function as both a playmaker and scorer in the context of a team.
Overall, Amari Bailey is someone who I’ve had a lot of fun rewatching over the last few days, and as his stock continues to rise, it's easy to see why. He’s just fun to watch, and effective while playing an electric style of basketball.
His style of “basketball improv”, which as I’ve detailed in this piece is a style that relies heavily on quick decisions, proprioception, and creativity is one we’ve seen pan out among the NBA’s perimeter stars, but also in just about every sport. He’s a highly skilled, highly athletic guard who was highly touted out of high school, and is now starting to regain some of that recognition as the 2023 draft cycle comes to its conclusion.