Jazz's Will Hardy Gets Honest on Relationship With Keyonte George

It's been an interesting season for second-year Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George.

The 21-year-old has continued to emerge as an appealing component of the Jazz's extensive rebuild process, and has made some eye-catching strides in his development throughout his sophomore campaign. Yet, his progression has still seen some bumps in the road, including the areas remaining primed for growth on both sides of the ball, as well as his move to the second unit in favor of shining rookie Isaiah Collier.

All in all, it's been your usual second-year pro with its fair share of ups and downs. However, through his second year in the league, the relationship held between George and his head coach has yet to waiver.

Hardy spoke a bit about the connection he's built with George since he joined the team two summers ago, ultimately relaying positive and optimistic thoughts surrounding his young guard.

"Keyonte and I have a very honest and close relationship," Hardy said. "He knows I want the best for him. He knows that we want the best for him. I tell him all the time, I get paid to be a pain in his butt, so I'm going to stay on him all the time. The reality is I want more, and I think he has more to give."

Hardy has continued to remain a main voice is George's ear as he continues his road of development, and it doesn't seem like he plans to stop that trend anytime soon.

Through his second year in the league, George has averaged 16.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists on 39.3% shooting from the field and 34.4% from three across 60 total showings on the season.

Of course, George still has a few strides to make in order to truly establish himself as a long-time focal point of this Jazz rebuild, but not only has he shown the flashes and potential to do so, but he has the tremendous confidence and support of his head coach.

Combine those two factors, and it puts George in a pretty strong situation moving forward in Salt Lake City. Time will tell if he can put all of those pieces together to even excel past his initial expectations.

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