Though Utah's record has plummeted recently, rookie Keyonte George continues to develop at a fast rate. In his most recent performance, George scored 31 points and nearly led the Jazz to an upset win Saturday in Miami.
That offensive output, coming on 12-of-23 shooting, put his name alongside a couple of former Jazz greats who went on to excel in the NBA. It was the third time this season that George reached the 30-point mark, putting him with Darrell Griffith and Donovan Mitchell as the only three Utah players to accomplish that feat in their first year in the league.
"Right now," Jazz coach Will Hardy said, "I'm encouraging Keyonte to take as many shots as he can."
George will again have the green light on Monday night in Salt Lake City when the Jazz return from a winless three-game Eastern road trip to host the Washington Wizards.
In the 126-120 setback against the Heat, George made six of 14 3-pointers, grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists. Lauri Markkanen added 25 points for the Jazz, while Collin Sexton and John Collins chipped in with 18 apiece.
The progress of George -- and, more recently, of fellow rookie Taylor Hendricks (13 rebounds vs. Miami) -- has been a silver lining for a team that has dropped 11 of its past 14 games.
"I thought Keyonte was incredibly aggressive the entire night," Hardy said following the loss to the Heat. "Another night where I'm really pleased with how many threes he found off the dribble. It's a big part of his growth, it's a sign of respect when they change the matchup and put Jimmy Butler on you."
The Jazz held an 11-point lead in the third quarter before Butler led the Heat to the win.
"We're still developing as a team," George said. "We're still young. And that's a phenomenal team we just played."
The Jazz will now face a Wizards squad that is also going through some serious struggles. Washington has lost 14 games in a row, including recent back-to-back setbacks in Los Angeles against the Lakers and Clippers.
Former University of Utah forward Kyle Kuzma has been a bright spot for the Wizards. He scored 32 points in Friday's loss against the Clippers.
"I thought Kyle tried to really put it on his back to get us back in," Washington interim coach Brian Keefe said of Kuzma's effort against the Clippers. "He just felt the need to kind of step it up for us, and he's been doing that all year for us."
Utah defeated Washington on the road, 123-108, on Jan. 25. The Wizards won their next two games after that but have not won again since defeating the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 29. The Jazz have won only four games since their previous meeting with Washington.
"I think we are seeing growth," Keefe said. "I think we are doing things better. I think you can see that. We just need to do it for longer and be more consistent with it, but you can see it for stretches. (Friday) was just not as much as we wanted."
Washington is two losses away from matching the franchise's longest losing streak. It had a good chance to snap the skid on Thursday against the Lakers when Jordan Poole scored 34 points. But the Wizards lost in overtime after Poole's game-winning 3-point attempt at the end of regulation was off line.
"I'm proud of our guys, just for the way we at least closed the game," Poole said. "We fought. ... Good look (at the buzzer). Look I wanted. Just a little bit off to the left. I'd shoot it again."
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