One of the lesser talked about rookies had one of his best performances of the year on Saturday.
Keyonte George, who was drafted to Utah with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, poured on 29 points on 11-for-22 shooting overall, hitting a whopping six of 14 attempted threes. Even better, he tacked on four rebounds and four assists.
Despite the 6-point loss, Utah has plenty of reason to feel hopeful about their future. In addition to George, No. 9 pick Taylor Hendricks also added eight points, 13 rebounds, two blocks and one assist on 4-for-7 shooting.
George has long been on basketball radars as a top prospect. But a late-season injury at Baylor saw his stock plummet some ahead of the draft.
Even now, George isn’t talked about as one of the top prospects in the class due to the rightful magnitude of Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller, the Thompson twins and more. But he’s quietly put himself in position to be a legitimate star in the NBA.
Prior to Utah’s matchup with the Heat, George was scoring 11.7 points and dishing 4.5 assists per game while shooting 39% overall and 35% from beyond the arc with great volume.
Performances like Saturday’s are sure to bolster his already-decent stats even more.
The 20-year-old still has a ways to go in terms of efficiency and the continual honing of his passing and playmaking skills. But he’s already setting himself up to get even more opportunity next season, similarly to a former Jazz volume scorer turned All-NBA player.
In the six games George has been allotted more than 15 shots, he’s scored on averaged 23.2 points per game. The sky seems to be the limit for the Baylor Bear turned Jazz.
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