Keyonte George's Rookie Season: Has He Met Jazz's Expectations?
The Utah Jazz have cleared the halfway mark on the 2023-24 season. One of the storylines that’s been on the front of my mind for most of the season is the progression of Utah's three rookies — Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, and Brice Sensabaugh.
The trio of 20-year-olds have each seen a unique set of circumstances on their journey to becoming consistent NBA performers. Today, we're checking in on how each rookie's season has gone to this point, but let’s start with the rookie who’s made the biggest impact for the Jazz so far.
A Hot Start
The point guard out of Baylor lit the basketball world on fire with his standout Summer League. The hype continued throughout the summer and fall to the point that Keyonte was the team's starting point guard just nine games into his rookie year.
Although he’s been coming off of the bench since returning from a foot injury, George has had stretches that get you excited for what his future could hold.
Ups & Downs
As you’d expect from a rookie guard, George has experienced both ups and downs. On the season, he’s averaging 10.9 points and 4.4 assists per game, which rank 7th and 2nd, respectively, among all rookies this year.
In a draft class that’s shaping up to be a really good one, those numbers are extremely encouraging. Unfortunately, the efficiency has not been there for Keyonte, and he’s shooting just 36.7% on field goals and 32.8% from deep— where over half of his shot attempts come from.
One of the encouraging signs is that despite struggling with efficiency, George has a knack for drawing fouls and getting free attempts. He leads all rookies in free throw rate, and is averaging 3.0 free throw attempts per game, knocking down 81% of those opportunities.
This skill bumps Keyonte’s true shooting up to 51.8% — a number that still needs work but puts him on par with the rookie seasons of players like Jamal Murray, De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Maxey, Lamelo Ball, Mike Conley, and many other guards who had the same struggles early in their careers. It’s clear that Keyonte has the tools to become a dynamic scorer. With more experience, we’ll see those shooting splits continue to rise.
Emergence as a Passer
Keyonte’s passing ability has been the development that has made me most excited about what he can develop into. Pre-draft, he was touted as a scoring combo guard in the mold of current Jazzman Jordan Clarkson, but George’s ability to set an offense, run pick-and-rolls, and overall just make good reads with the ball in his hands gives me the confidence that he’ll be able to develop into the point guard the Jazz need going forward.
Along with his passing, at 6-foot-4, George gives the Jazz the positional size they’re looking to build around. He’s also shown more athletically than he did at Baylor. Keyonte has legit speed that he’s shown in flashes — this is a skill I’d like him to utilize more, especially in transition.
I’ve also been encouraged by his lateral quickness in terms of on-ball defense. George still has work to do in terms of engagement and being in the right places off the ball, but overall he belongs athletically.
The Takeaway
At the end of the day, adjusting to the NBA is hard, and when you’re tasked with creating looks for yourself and others, it’s a lot to ask from a 20-year-old. Overall, Keyonte has given Jazz fans plenty of reasons to get excited about his future.
He’s already a key piece to a team that’s hanging tight in the playoff picture. I’m excited to watch his development for the rest of this season, and I expect him to use this offseason as a springboard to becoming the team’s starting point guard for the foreseeable future.
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