Jazz Rookies Shine in 126-120 Loss to Heat
The Utah Jazz were defeated by the Miami Heat 126-120 today in the Sunshine State. This was a competitive and fun contest as the Jazz battled all game long and showed no signs of giving up. The shortened game time minutes rotation was noticeable due to multiple absences from the regular Jazz roster. This posed no problem for coach Will Hardy because the extra minutes are generally a plus and experience for younger players.
Lets dissect the play from two of Utah's rookies from todays match-up.
Keyonte George
George continues to mature and flourish right before our very eyes. He led the Jazz in scoring with 31 points and minutes played by tallying 43. He shot 52% from the field, connected on six shots from distance on 14 tries, dished out four assists, and found time to snag four rebounds. His five turnovers can improve, but it was the 5th time in his young career that he has made at least five shots from beyond the arc in the same game.
George has shown from day one that the Jazz made the correct decision by announcing his name on draft night. He may have gotten off to a slow start to the season, but the Jazz have found their point guard of the future.
Taylor Hendricks
Hendricks continues to be the primary beneficiary from the trade deadline deals imposed by Utah's front office. Hardy threw Utah's first-round pick right into the fire by assigning him to guard Jimmy Buttler all night.
Butler did get the best of Hendricks, however the experience of guarding the opponents best player should pay dividends down the road. Hendricks is already an incredible weakside defender, and Hardy is finding out if he provides the same resistance as an on-ball defender.
Hendricks has all the tools to be that player, and it will be interesting to see how he develops over the next 21 games. He could end up being the starting center of the future over Walker Kessler, considering what he provides as a floor spacer, too.
Summation
Most teams want to win each and every night but an experienced Heat team defeated the Jazz and were unable to slow guard Jimmy Butler who scored 37 points. But if you believe in the future, the Jazz have planted some severe basketball roots with George and Taylor Hendricks.
The Jazz will return to Salt Lake City to battle the Washington Wizards on Monday night at 7:00 PM.
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