Utah's Keyonte George: Sophomore Outlook

The former Baylor guard's first run-through in the NBA was promising. What kind of leap can be expected next season?

Apr 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) passes the ball / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Keyonte George's rookie campaign certainly exceeded some expectations surrounding him, but his performance throughout the Utah Jazz's 31-51 season showed that the 6-foot-4 guard has true upside in this league.

At 20 years of age, he generated 13.0 points throughout his 75 games and 44 starts. Doing that in 27 minutes of play on average and shooting 33.4% from three and 39.1% overall are solid scoring numbers as a huge contributor for the Jazz this season. He assumed a pretty large role in his first season, as many other rookies did for their respective teams, but George's was seemingly unexpected.

Taken as the 16th pick in 2023, George quickly waded from lower scoring outings in the single digits to routine double-digit scoring outings, swiftly turning into a reliable source of production off the bench before finding himself in the starting lineup often. Fast forward to the end of the season, and George is easily a top-four scorer on this team with much room for improvement over the offseason. And pinned against a stacked 2023 class, he was the sixth highest scorer behind Scoot Henderson and GG Jackson. He also placed second in assists among all rookies with 4.4 as Henderson led him in that department as well.

Onlooking to next season, Utah's collapse late in the year and vision for a competitive season has a chance to change the direction of George's play style. If the Jazz intend to compete out of the West entirely, a second season of George initiating offense is unlikely seeing Will Hardy will seek a true, seasoned facilitating lead guard. That'd leave him to work alongside a playmaking piece while being able to roam off the ball.

If they intend to go the opposite direction and work with their assets, hinging off of the draft, George might get the chance to hone his skills to run the offense and could bloom into a solid lead guard depending on his progression.

"They don't care about looking cool, fitting in, they just work hard each and every day," George said onwhat separates the average players from the great ones following the close of Utah's season. "I took that piece of advice. And I think now, I'll be able to take my game to another level."

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