A Recent Development Fuels 33-Point Summer League Performance From Keyonte George

The improvement Keyonte George has made that completely changes his game.

After a roller coaster of a season, Utah cashed in on Baylor’s Keyonte George with the No. 16 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Just a few weeks after his his future in Utah was revealed, George made his debut in the Jazz’s threads at the Salt Lake City Summer League event. After a few solid performances, George made the trip to the Las Vegas Summer League, and loudly announced his presence.

The 6-foot-4 guard finished his game against the Los Angeles Clippers with a statline consisting of 33 points and 10 assists. En route to putting up these gaudy numbers, George remained efficient. He went a whopping 6-of-11 from beyond the arc and converted six of his nine attempts from two-point range as well.

The key to George’s success has been his recent body transformation. He has noticeably skimmed down from his Baylor build a few months ago. The 19-year-old standout has lost weight and gained explosiveness and speed in the process. This has made it very tough for summer league defenses to stop him from getting downhill and attacking the rim, which has not always been his biggest strength. 

George looks springy as ever and has opened up a new dime shin to his game. Take this fun fact: George has the same number of dunks through three summer league games as he did his whole freshman season as a Baylor Bear.

Fun fact: Keyonte has the same number of dunks and dunk attempts through three games at Summer League as his entire season at Baylor https://t.co/Qe9eAjPIKJ

— Matt Powers (@DraftPow) July 9, 2023

Even at a lighter weight, he maintains his aggressive approach. George seeks contact and confidently plays through it. Combine these improved slashing traits with his elite shooting prowess, versatile handle, shrewd passing, and impactful defense, and it makes sense George can put up performances like his Saturday night masterclass.

It will be very interesting to see how George’s rookie season plays out. He has all the tools to be the NBA’s next great young guard, following in the steps of guys such as Jordan Poole, Anfernee Simons, Tyrese Maxey, Immanuel Quickley, and many others. All of these guys were not regarded in the top tier of prospects, but through their NBA performances quickly proved they should have been.

George has the potential to feature as a cornerstone in Utah’s accelerated rebuild, and he will certainly be fun to watch while doing so.

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