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MIAMI — With the clock ticking down to less than two minutes, Jimmy Butler drove to his left, stepped back and hit a 15-foot fadeaway jumper. It’s a shot the Miami Heat forward has made countless times throughout his career.
End of game situation, close game, we expect him to have that kind of look.
That shot helped hold off the Jazz on Saturday in Miami’s 126-120 win over the Jazz at Kaseya Center. He also gave a concrete example of what Will Hardy wants to see from his point guard Keyonte George.
The rookie guard had a special night in Miami, scoring 31 points on 12-of-23 shooting, along with four rebounds and four assists. He consistently went to the basket, made good reads for assists and made six 3-pointers. It was the third time this season he scored more than 30 points – a feat only two other Jazz rookies (Darrell Griffith and Donovan Mitchell) have accomplished.
George helped the Jazz build an 11-point lead in the third quarter, but the Heat — fresh off a 5-1 road trip — proved to be too much in the end.
Jazz, however, is in a growth phase; victories mean less than development. And, seen through that lens, there was a lot to like about Saturday’s game – especially from George.
“Right now, I’m encouraging Keyonte to shoot as many shots as possible,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said before the game.
He certainly listened on Saturday. George did well in Miami, including 14 3-pointers. That doesn’t mean they were forced, however. George made good reads of the pick-and-rolls and really found his place on the court. Ultimately, he forced the Heat to adapt to what he was doing.
“I thought Keyonte was incredibly aggressive all night,” Hardy said. “Another night where I’m really happy 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 game and put Jimmy Butler on you. “
This aggressiveness is what his coaches and his teammates want too. Especially now that he’s learning more and more to recognize coverages and manipulate defenders. This is how he was able to break the paint to shoot the rim. The strong point ? A crossover with a flying layup with 8:45 left tied the game at 100-100.
“He’s going to be a great player,” said Lauri Markkanen, who had 25 points and six assists Saturday but was hobbled at the end after appearing to bang his knee in a collision. “We need him to be aggressive. I think he’s learning when to facilitate and involve others and when to be aggressive himself.”
George said he was reading the game better and his pace was becoming more intentional. He recognizes when he needs to speed things up and when he needs to slow down. His scoring was electric Saturday, but one of his best plays was drawing a double team on the perimeter, then making a cross-ice pass to Markkanen for an open corner 3-pointer.
These types of pieces show that things are falling into place – and quickly.
“I watched the league games and just tried to take a look at the little things, the little intangibles of all the great players in our league,” George said.
So what lesson can he learn from Butler’s mastery of mediums?
“As far as his pull-up shooting, that’s actually a conversation that he and I have started to have a lot lately, because when you get to the end of a game, or you get to the playoffs , threes and layups. doesn’t work anymore,” Hardy said. “The shots you end up finding are difficult two-man shots.”
George had one with 2:20 left; he missed. Even though the Jazz most likely won’t be headed to the playoffs this year, that’s the ultimate goal…so you might as well start preparing early.
“I’m trying to aim for Keyonte to be effective in a playoff series, and his pull-ups will be something we’ll need,” Hardy said. “So he knows that I obviously don’t want him to do 20 double pull-ups, but I also encourage him to take what’s in front of him because we’re in a real growth phase with him right now.”
A phase which continued on Saturday.
