Jazz's Will Hardy Praises One Major Part of Keyonte George's Game

It's been a year full of ups and downs for the Utah Jazz across the 2024-25 NBA season, but the team has still had some positives to note throughout as this young team continues to develop and progress with each passing game, even if the results aren't quite panning out in wins and losses.

One of those players to make a few strides in their development this season has been second-year guard Keyonte George. The sophomore guard has taken leaps forward in each of his five major stat categories from his rookie season, also becoming the Jazz's fourth-highest scorer on the team.

But in the eyes of Jazz head coach Will Hardy, there's one significant part of Keyonte's game that's emerged as the best part within his offensive arsenal: his ability to draw fouls.

"I do think that overall one of his best offensive weapons at this point in his career is his ability to get fouled," Hardy said. "He does a good job with the timing of his gather. I think he's studied some of the elite players in the NBA and some of the things they do to draw fouls."

It's hard to argue with Hardy's outlook outlook. George leads the Jazz on the season with total free throws attempted at 215, and Sunday's showing against the Philadelphia 76ers was no different, as he made nine of 13 total shots at the line in what would ultimately be a narrow 122-126 loss.

You won't see George be fortunate enough to get double-digit shots at the line every night, but having that ability in his tool-belt is crucial for his future as a premier scorer in the league.

"It's definitely a part of his game that's really helping him, because some nights, the jump shots aren't going in," Hardy continued. "And when you look at the best players around the league, it's not always just about their field goals made that lead to big scoring nights, but the free throw line is usually a big part of that."

In terms of his total efficiency around the floor, George still has a bit of work to do to become a dominant force on that end and fully develop into his ceiling as a scorer. His 39.5% field goal shooting and 54.0% true shooting are slightly elevated from the averages from his rookie season, yet still fall a bit short of the league average.

However, when it comes to his effectiveness in drawing contact and getting to the line consistently, it's becoming harder and harder to ignore the second-year guard's elite skill set, especially for Coach Hardy.

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