Jazz Beat T-Wolves in Summer League: Biggest Winners & Losers

The Utah Jazz imposed their will against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night and hailed victorious 108-96 in Las Vegas Summer League action. The Jazz were again led by the stellar play of rookie sensation Keyonte George, as he flashed Summer League MVP-caliber statistics.

George arrived in Utah by way of the No. 16 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, which was facilitated, in part, by the Rudy Gobert trade prior to the start of last season. Jazz fans would like to thank Minnesota's front office for the gifts of center Walker Kessler and a legitimate young stud in George.

Jazz CEO Danny Ainge has to view this trade as the gift that keeps on giving.

With that said, let's review the winners and losers of Utah's win.

Winners

Keyonte George

George tossed in 26 points, dropped seven dimes, and grabbed three boards and two steals. He shot 60% from the field and drained five three-pointers while registering another off-the-charts +25 game rating.

What makes this performance even more noteworthy is that backcourt mate Ochai Agbaji did not play in this contest, shifting greater responsibility to George. No worries, as George delivered and is now a serious Las Vegas Summer League MVP front-runner.

Micah Potter

Potter is the hammer and nail without the glitz and glam and has earned his way to a contract. This young man plays hard every play, is skilled, and has a high basketball IQ.

Potter tallied 11 points, 12 boards, and seven assists with a +5 game rating, and you guessed it, he messed around and almost got a triple-double! He will gobble up any remaining minutes during the season at multiple positions for the Jazz.

Stock Rising

Johnny Juzang

Juzang has shown tremendous improvement with his recent play, and last night the Wolves were on the incorrect side of hard work paying off. If you follow the Jazz Summer League game rotation, extra minutes were up for grabs with the absence of Agbaji.

Juzang filled the void by getting directly into his custom deluxe supreme package and tying George with a game-high 26 points. He also grabbed four boards, handed out three assists, blocked a shot, and cooked his defender by shooting 10-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-5 three-pointers with a +6 game rating.

Juzang channeled his inner Reggie Miller, and the Wolves seemed like pups.

Loser

Minnesota Front Office

Maybe one day, NBA teams might want to consider my philosophy and no longer participate in player trades. Why? Because one of the trading partners is generally swindled without even knowing it.

The focal point was trading for Gobert, who is due $41 million this season alone. Last season, the Wolves were eliminated 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs and paid Gobert over $38 million, who, by the way, threw a punch at his teammate forward Kyle Anderson. Next season he is due nearly $44 million, and he is due nearly $47 million in 2025-26.

Meanwhile, the Jazz have Walker Kessler on a rookie contract and under team control for three more seasons totaling just over $13 million. Also in the mix is George, the rookie sensation on a rookie contract, and the Jazz are not done.

Whoever granted the final okay on this deal cannot possibly be satisfied, to say the least.

Bottom Line

Simply put, the Jazz are set up nicely by basketball standards, and the Wolves assisted in a big way. If you ask which organization is closer to a championship, it's the Jazz!

Utah will face the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night in Vegas at 7:30 pm MDT.

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