Keyonte George is the Utah Jazz’s answer.
He is not expected to be the best player or score the most points, but he is expected to be the leader.
Will Hardy, the head coach of the Utah Jazz, did something unusual during a recent practise. He put his whistle and clipboard down and went silent.
The point guard, 20-year-old rookie Keyonte George, would be in charge.
“He was the one that had to organise everybody,” he claimed. “It’s good for him to get used to using his voice and it’s good for his teammates to get used to responding to him.”
It’s one thing for Hardy to communicate with George during a game while a teammate is at the free-throw line, and quite another for George to convey information straight from Hardy to the rest of the squad. It’s quite different for George to be in command and the one making decisions, instructing everyone what to do based solely on what he sees.
“Will is putting me in uncomfortable situations and I’m learning to get comfortable,” he remarked. “In that locker room, there are guys who are much older than myself. Telling a 30-year-old, ‘Hey, get to the corner,’ or ‘Hey, this is what we’re in,’ is a little out of the ordinary. It helps me a lot to know that the four players on the court will let me play through mistakes while also allowing me to lead them throughout the game.”
That small detail about the squad enabling him to play through mistakes is critical, since the guys on this team do not want to lose.
Lauri Markkanen is in his prime, yet he has never made the playoffs. John Collins does not want his career to undergo another downturn; he desires success. Jordan Clarkson did not sign a contract extension with the Jazz to remain at the bottom of the standings. They will, however, put up with George’s mistakes and setbacks because they recognise his potential and what he can become — a solid and strong point guard who improves the players around him on a winning team.
Early warning signs
When the Jazz selected George with the 16th overall choice, there were undoubtedly some reservations. He had a negative assist-turnover ratio at Baylor and was recognised as a scorer rather than a distributor entering the NBA. However, the Jazz had gone over video of George and discovered some significant information.
George was not anticipated to be a playmaker in college, but you could tell by the way he handled defences while holding the ball that he had a terrific feel for the game and vision comparable to that of a point guard.
In theory, the Jazz saw a guy who might thrive in the presence of NBA talent. They believed that if he was surrounded by superior shooters and given NBA spacing and speed, he would be successful.
Leave a Reply