Jazz Rookie Keyonte George Deemed ‘Best New Weapon’ After Offseason
Immediately following the decision of the Utah Jazz selecting Baylor G Keyonte George with at 16th-overall in this year’s draft, George has already shown that he belongs on an NBA floor. The 6-4, 185 lb guard enters his rookie season possessing many enticing qualities as a young player for the future of this Jazz roster.
During the Las Vegas NBA Summer League in July, we saw George turn on the jets from day one. He averaged a line of 21.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, making four threes a night on elite efficiency (44.4%) in the three games he appeared in. Unfortunately for Jazz fans, a minor ankle injury that would appear in his third game would keep him out for the remainder of Utah’s remaining matchups in Vegas.
Now fully healthy and entering year one of his NBA career, George has merited some attention as one of the brightest young players on this Jazz roster. Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley calls George the ‘best new weapon’ as a part of Utah’s additions this offseason, over the likes of F John Collins and top-ten draft pick F Taylor Hendricks:
"First, he fits the "slippery scorer" archetype that perhaps first comes to mind when conjuring up an image of an NBA weapon. He can consistently create—and convert—his own shots in ways that Collins and Hendricks can't (and won't be asked to). George is always in control of his handles and has every shot-making maneuver in his bag. Second, if his play in Las Vegas wasn't a mirage, he might already be leveling up. He ramped up his playmaking and flashed more explosion as a finisher. Tack on that on to his established traits as a live-dribble scorer, and he could be awfully hard to contain on the offensive end."
George’s eye-opening Summer League production has effectively put many on notice. With his three-level scoring ability and the favorable positional size that he presents, it’s difficult not to label him as one of the top pieces as a part of this Jazz core.
While some issues surrounding his college efficiency (37.6/33.8/79.3 splits) led to his draft stock taking a hit, those concerns have not popped up throughout George’s small sample size. After putting up nine threes a night and making close to half of them in Vegas, we are already beginning to see some encouraging movement in the right direction.
Fans will get their first chance to see George in an official NBA game during the Jazz home opener vs. the Sacramento Kings on October 25th.
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