Jazz may have found their next star point guard in Keyonte George

Keyonte George's hot start continued Monday night when his Utah Jazz beat the Boston Celtics, 105-103. Even if the game-winning basket happened after he missed a shot.

George scored a season-high 31 points in the win, which took the Jazz to 3-4 on the season. The 21-year-old added four assists and committed a season-low one turnover in 38 minutes.

The Jazz were so confident in George that they gave him the ball with the game tied at 103 in the final seconds. George missed, but the defensive attention gave Jusuf Nurkic the chance to get the offensive rebound and game-winning putback.

Keyonte George's first two seasons were disappointing

George struggled during his first two seasons after the Jazz drafted him with the No. 16 pick in the 2023 draft. He shot only 39.1% each season, going 33.4% and 34.3% from behind the arc. George was primarily a scoring point guard, averaging only 4.4 and 5.6 assists per game against 2.5 and 2.7 turnovers.

But in 2025-26, George has emerged as a playmaker. He's dished 8.1 assists per game, including 10 dimes in Lauri Markkanen's 51-point game Oct. 27. He's also getting into the lane, shooting within 10 feet of the hoop more often and more successfully.

As a result, he's getting to the foul line, going 11-for-13 Monday night. For the season, George is averaging a stunning 9.6 foul shots a game, and making 91% of them.

Utah is beginning to trust Keyonte George

George has taken advantage of the hamstring injury suffered by second-year guard Isaiah Collier, seizing the opportunity and averaging nearly 35 minutes per game. His team is trusting to carry them, as he did with 16 points in the third quarter Monday. He's also getting the ball in the clutch.

Against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 27, George hit the go-ahead basket in overtime. Monday, he missed the go-ahead basket, but Neemias Queta shaded to George and Nurkic got the winning bucket.