Jazz PG Keyonte George Named to All-Rookie Team

It was a productive year for the first year Jazzman.

Apr 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) passes the ball / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

For the second straight season the Utah Jazz have a player that’s been named to the All-Rookie Team. Last year, it was Walker Kessler, and this time, it will be Keyonte George receiving second team honors.

The 2023-24 Kia NBA All-Rookie Second Team:

▪️ Keyonte George of @utahjazz
▪️ GG Jackson II of @memgrizz
▪️ Dereck Lively II of @dallasmavs
▪️ Amen Thompson of @HoustonRockets
▪️ Cason Wallace of @okcthunder pic.twitter.com/1QaumdqzYo

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 20, 2024

George was drafted with the No.16 overall pick in last year's draft out of the University of Baylor. Jazz fans knew early that George was much better than his draft position. In last year’s Summer League, he averaged 21.7 points and 6.3 assists per contest while receiving first-team honors for his performance.

George started the season in a reserve role for the Jazz, but it didn’t take long before being anointed as the starting point guard. He finished the season with 13.4 points and 4.4 assists over 75 games.

George could be Utah’s starting point guard for the future. At only 20 years of age, he’s had a good handle on running Utah’s offense and could get to his spots effortlessly in the half-court sets. If there were a knock on George in his first year, it would be his efficiency numbers. Overall he shot 39.1% from the field and 33.4% from long distance.

It will be interesting to see if any changes are made to Utah’s starting backcourt heading into next season. George and Sexton are both talented enough to be part of a playoff team rotation, but the pair struggled defensively when put on the floor simultaneously. Utah finished the year last in the league in terms of defensive rating. However, if a backcourt upgrade were made this summer, it would most likely be Sexton becoming the sixth man and George remaining the starter at the one.

Follow Inside The Jazz on Facebook and X.

Subscribe to YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live streams!