Rookie Keyonte George Showing Passing Prowess for Utah Jazz

Through the early slate, Jazz rookie Keyonte George seems to have unlocked a part of his game.

Jazz rookie Keyonte George seems to have unlocked a part of his game in his short tenure with the team.

Selected No. 16 overall by Utah in the 2023 NBA Draft, George has long been thought of as a natural scorer. While a late injury at Baylor saw his efficiency dip, he’s been lauded as a talent on offense dating back to his days with IMG Academy.

And in Summer League, George showed just that, averaging 15.6 points and showing a real impact with the team’s Vegas squad.

Recently, though, the 20-year-old has tapped into his passing and playmaking potential. Which, if paired with potential hyper-scoring, could make him a threat to be a star in the NBA.

Through seven games this season, George is averaging 4.6 assists to just 1.7 turnovers per game. Already a massive improvement from his 2.8 assists with the Bears in his lone collegiate season.

In his last two games, his first and second starts of the season, he’s put together nine and 11-assist performances, turning over the ball just three times in total.

The NBA’s premier spacing could be attributed to George’s hot start dishing the rock. But there was plenty of evidence at Baylor that he had this within himself, too.

He’ll need to continue honing a few particular skills — passing accuracy, velocity, general decision making and more — but George is looking like he could be a legitimate point guard in the league if he can find efficient scoring, which shouldn’t be a problem with his skillset.

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