Utah Jazz Player Analysis: Keyonte George Impresses in NBA Preseason

I love Keyonte George and I don't care who knows it.

The shifty scoring guard out of Baylor had a strong rookie season with the Utah Jazz after Danny Ainge and Co. stole him with the 16th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and the early returns to George were very promising.

For a Jazz team in the swirling vortex of a rebuild from the ground up, Keyonte's development was an undeniable success that Will Hardy wants to use to his advantage as Utah still searches for some semblance of identity.

With George having plenty of playing time between his Summer League and preseason appearances, many fans are encouraged by the conscious improvement in many aspects of his game.

While player development can require years of grueling and torturous micro-victories coupled with a litany of setbacks, molding a block of raw potential into the ideal player requires incredible patience. Meanwhile, Keyonte approaches his development the same way SpongeBob SquarePants approaches sculpting – he makes it perfect in an effortless moment. Why waste time?

Keyonte George doesn’t care about your “rules of art.” He's an artist and he'll take it from here, thank you very much.

So where can we already see improvements in his game and what room does he still have for improvement? What is the best version of Keyonte George and how can jazz help him unlock the masterpiece he seeks in him?

An ode to Key

Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images

When the Jazz announced their Summer League roster, many viewers (including myself) saw Utah's freshmen and sophomores filling the depth chart and came to a unanimous understanding: This team was about to make their Summer League to destroy competition.

Keyonte highlighted the first 5and in the first game against Memphis in the SLC Summer League, the young basketball player scored 30 points against the giant Zach Edey's Grizzlies. He averaged 30.5 points per night in the SLC – the highest score of the event by 11.5 points.

The preseason was no different. After one short fear of injury, Keyonte has shown confidence and composure in his return to the pitch. He's only 20 years old, but he plays like he's been a mainstay in the NBA for years. This can only give hope for constant growth.

Key's shot burst makes me dizzy too. His release point is very high, with a shooting pocket well above his head, giving him a few extra inches of room to fire off a jumper. In the preseason, he hit 51% of his attempts from the field and 44% from distance. Someone is pinching me.

When Utah drafted George out of college, he was already known as a score-first, question-second guard. This aspect of his game should translate seamlessly into the NBA game. But since the Jazz would be without a point guard going forward (unless you count Collin Sexton), Utah's front office saw the 6-foot-4 guard's playmaking upside and hoped he could make one could capitalize on new challenges.

His ball handling and playing skills seem to have improved significantly. Keyonte dribbles much like Indiana Jones cracks a whip: smooth as butter, yet sharp as a bridle. He's handled the responsibility of handling ball pressure while running the Jazz's offense with the confidence of an NBA veteran, and he demands the world know he's taking the next step this season in Utah.

George averages 3.5 assists per game in the preseason, while he averages 4.5 assists per night in Summer League. Although these numbers may be slightly lower than last season, his scoring rate has noticeably improved. Keyonte will continue to look for his own shot, as he should, but his increasing assist totals are encouraging.

He's a pick-and-roll minotaur, weaving, navigating and shooting his way through a maze of ball screens at the top of the key to terrorize his defender while firing off crossovers and dribble combinations through the legs with a splashy zip stuns the defenders who have the ball and try to keep George at bay. I don't want to be trapped in this labyrinth.

Keyonte undeniably has the scoring ability to carve out a lasting role in Utah by shooting to the rim or diving for a 3-ball off the dribble, but trying to get his teammates involved in more actions will hurt the offense Helping Jazz while relieving some defensive pressure on themselves.

When Keyonte lines up from the wing in a screen-and-roll with Walker Kessler – a remarkable lob and a tremendous individual player – he is more than content to take down a runner on the glass, forcing the defense to both the threatening alley -Oop as well as respecting Key's score He touched him evenly, creating a lose-lose situation for the helpless defenders caught in his net.

Of course, he's far from perfect and his game still needs to be fleshed out, but Keyonte's performance has steadily improved compared to his rookie season, prompting any discussion of a second-year slump. This charismatic Hooper will likely take over the Jazz's lead point guard spot next season, and fans should be excited about his development.

Expect Keyonte to make a splash in Utah this season – he's looking Good.