Jazz's Will Hardy Dishes Honest Statement on Keyonte George

Coach Will Hardy sounds off on the second-year Utah Jazz guard.

Feb 14, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy talks to guard Keyonte George (3) and guard Collin Sexton (2) during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images / Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

After starting the year on a bumpy stretch shooting the ball. second-year Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George has finally begun to pick up the slack a bit deeper into his second campaign.

While it's not totally perfect, you're beginning to see George continue getting comfortable within his role in the Jazz's offense, especially in his efficiency metrics. In his past five games, the second-year guard is averaging 15.8 points per game on 44.4% shooting from the field and 36.8% from three-point range-- showing big strides forward from his season average of 36.3% FG and 31.9% 3PT.

Jazz head coach Will Hardy recently dished a bit on the improvements he's seen from his young guard after showcasing some initial stuggles, indicating that George is keeping things "much simpler."

"I think Keyonte's kept it much simpler," Hardy said. Especially early in the game, I don't think there's been as much of an anxiousness to score. He's really doing a good job of taking what's in front of him... I think, in turn, that helps him find the flow of the game. It also makes the shots he's supposed to take a little bit more obvious when they present themselves... There was also some progression to the mean, based on some poor shooting to start the year that I don't think was representative of Keyonte's ability."

In the first five games of George's second year in Utah, things were off to a bleak start. He was shooting an abysmal 28.0% from the field on 15 shot attempts a night, also collecting an average of four attempts per contest-- which led to the Jazz's 0-5 mark to begin their 2024-25 campaign.

Yet, as Hardy noted, those numbers didn't exemplify what we know George can do on the floor. Shooting slumps come and go in the NBA, and this time around, it just so happened to hit the Jazz's young backcourt. However, in due time, the arrow is trending back in the right direction.

Progression isn't always linear in the NBA, and especially so for young guards still finding their way into a pro system. Last season, George still had some ups and downs when it came to his shooting efficiency, so it shouldn't be unreasonable to see him still working through that side of his game in his sophomore campaign.

With increased reps and further experience invested as one of the primary decision-makers and offensive generators on the roster, there's ample opportunity for George to soon emerge as one of the top scoring guards in the entire league-- though it'll need some time to develop and come to form.

In the meantime, Coach Hardy seems confident in what George can provide now and moving forward on the floor, even if the production isn't completely perfect throughout.

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