Keyonte George Issues Bold Statement After Jazz-Rockets

The Utah Jazz guard had an electric night at the Delta Center vs. the Houston Rockets.

Jared Koch | Feb 23, 2025

Feb 22, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) reacts with fans during the second half of the game against the Houston Rockets at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

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Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz went out to make a statement on Saturday night vs. the Houston Rockets, as they brought home a big win 124-115 for their first victory out of the All-Star Break, notching their 14th on the year.

It was an impressive performance for several contributors on the roster, but the biggest star may have been Keyonte George coming off the bench. The second-year guard led the game with 30 points, which comes in as his second-highest point total of the year, paired with eight rebounds and six assists.

George jumped out in this contest with one of the best showings of his entire career, further cementing his status as one of the Jazz's top cornerstones of the future.

And in George's mind, now is the perfect time to put the world on notice.

"It's time to make the presence felt," George said after the win. "No matter what role I'm in, I'm just trying to let my presence be felt. I know the amount of work I put in physically, mentally, and I just think it's time now. Obviously, every night's not going to be great, but understanding the way I want to carry myself and how I want to be seen around the league, I want to make my presence felt each and every night."

George has been climbing his way up the ladder to NBA stardom since he arrived in Salt Lake City in 2023, and his latest dominant performance against Houston was simply another sign of that.

This season, the Jazz guard has averaged 16.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists on his way to earning a second career selection to the Rising Stars Game, appearing alongside some of the best young talents around the league. With his win in the event, he even got a chance to suit up against the league's best in Sunday's All-Star Game.

But that's just the start of the process for George. His career has gotten off to a solid pace, but he still has work to do and questions to answer before continuing to continue working his way up.

"I think the main question for me is what I want to get out of it," George said. "I want to be a winning player. Every night, I want to have an impact. I talk to people in my circle a lot, and the main question is 'Who do you want to be?' Obviously, you can talk about it, but you've got to show it. That's what the work, preparation, how you carry yourself [does]. I think it was good after the break it was good to reset, really think about that. And now, like I said, I feel like it's time."

Thanks to the mid-season break, George had a chance to reset and recenter himself before the stretch run ensued, and the revitalized energy was put on full display in a statement win.

Now, with just over 25 games to go in the season, the big question becomes: how long can he keep this up?

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