Jazz Insider Predicts the Team's 'Point Guard of the Future'
Expectations are running high for Utah Jazz rookie Keyonte George, and why shouldn’t they? After turning heads in this year's Summer League, George has looked adequate through four preseason games.
The 19-year-old has averaged 11.3 ppg while dishing out four assists in just 21.5 minutes per contest. That said, George is still a rookie and may need a longer track record before being anointed as the starting point guard.
The topic arose when The Deseret News' Sarah Todd joined ESPN 700’s The Drive with Spence Checketts.
“I don’t think it’s outlandish to say this is going to be your point guard of the future,” Todd said. “I don’t think that’s going to happen right away, like you. I don’t trust rookies, right? They need time, and so I don’t think that he’s going to be starting day one. I think he needs time not only to get used to the NBA but to gain [the] trust of his teammates. There are other guys on this team that have played with other players that are on the roster and have a little more familiarity and trust, but what I’ve seen from Keyonte is that he’s doing his absolute best to gain that trust.”
Indeed, it may take a minute before George is inserted in the starting lineup, considering the Jazz's current log jam at the guard position. Also, looking at the team's track history of starting rookies, Jazz fans may need to pump the brakes on early expectations.
Not long ago, Donovan Mitchell burst onto the Salt Lake City scene as a rookie in 2017. Mitchell didn’t cement his place in the starting lineup until game 12, when it was apparent he was a better option than Rodney Hood.
Some other notable Jazz lottery picks that weren’t day-one starters include Deron Williams, Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter, and Dante Exum.
Even Hall-of-Famers Karl Malone and John Stockton didn’t start on opening night, although The Mailman was able to strong-arm his way into the starting lineup by game three.
Jazz head coach Will Hardy doesn’t have a long track record regarding playing rookies, but it did take a while before Walker Kessler gained enough trust to get starter minutes last season. Kessler didn’t get his first start until game 27, and it took an injury from Kelly Olynyk to provide that opportunity.
There may need to be a trade at some point to clear a path for George to get consistent minutes, which may happen sooner rather than later, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who wrote that Utah was open to moving Talen Horton-Tucker to create more court time for George.
No matter how it plays out, Jazz fans should get more clues about what Hardy may be thinking when Utah takes on the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night at the Delta Center.
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