Almost 40 years ago in the 1984 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz picked John Stockton 16th overall. He wound up changing the course of the Jazz franchise over the course of his 19-year NBA career as he blossomed into a Hall of Famer, 10-time NBA All-Star, and the league’s all-time assists leader.
This past NBA Draft, Utah once again owned the 16th overall pick and they decided to use it on yet another point guard, Keyonte George from Baylor University. George’s NBA career is still only 58 games old, but if the early results are any indication, he looks like he is on track to become the next big thing for the Jazz.
So far this season, the 20-year-old point guard is averaging 12.5 points, 36.4% three-point shooting, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists for Utah which is quite impressive when considering the typical steep learning curve for NBA point guards. More recently, George was reinserted to the Jazz’s starting line-up in mid-February as it became apparent that Utah was headed towards another trip to the NBA Draft Lottery.
With their focus shifting towards their future, they have handed over the keys to the team to the 6’4 George and he has not disappointed.
In the 12 games since, he has bumped up his averages to 18.2 points, 42.9% three-point shooting, 2.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. He has scored at least 25 points in five of these games, including a career-best 33 points and nine three-pointers in a win against the Golden State Warriors.
George is clearly growing more comfortable as the Jazz’s lead guard and it has shown over their last three games where he has scored 29, 26, and 25 points, respectively. While the first two of those games were losses to this year’s lead title contenders, the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics, Utah finally pulled off a win in the third game which was against the Atlanta Hawks.
The rookie played a key role in this win as they held off the Hawks to take a 124-122 win. George’s 25 points were a team high and he also tallied four rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
The recent showings of George have proven his potential as the Jazz’s point guard of the future. He has a long way to go before even coming close to his predecessor Stockton’s achievements with Utah, but with time, he might just have a similar impact once his career is all said and done.
Tomorrow is full of promise for the Jazz and it all begins with their rookie, Keyonte George.
