This season for the Utah Jazz will largely be outlined by the workforce’s younger expertise and future development, and maybe nobody on the workforce is extra ready to make these enhancements than second-year guard Keyonte George.
After exhibiting flashes and constant manufacturing en path to his Second Crew All-Rookie marketing campaign final season, George seems poised to carry the reins as this workforce’s start line guard to start the yr later this month, and will inevitably take a giant step ahead. in the fitting route to be consolidated among the many finest younger skills to look at within the NBA.
Forward of the Jazz’s impending regular-season debut, third-year head coach Will Hardy has continued to advertise his younger guard, together with his most up-to-date reward coming after his first preseason sport of the yr.
Whereas chatting with the media following the Jazz’s preseason competitors in opposition to the New Zealand Breakers, coach Hardy revealed a key enchancment he has seen in his guard, specifically his confidence:
“I believe Keyonte, clearly, has a distinct stage of confidence,” Hardy mentioned. “There’s confidence in his sport. There’s confidence within the credibility he is constructed together with his teammates and the group. There’s confidence within the relationship with me and the employees. You’ll be able to simply saying that the way in which we talk with one another is totally different than that “I did it final yr…Keyonte is a extra assured participant and individual than final yr. “
George began his preseason off on the fitting foot, posting 12 factors and 5 assists in his 22 minutes in opposition to the Breakers, and likewise confirmed enticing effectivity by capturing 66.7% from the sector and from 50% depth.
He was one of many brilliant spots on the Jazz roster final season, the place the rookie averaged 13.0 factors, 2.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists to ultimately grow to be an evening starter. George had some inefficiencies as a shooter throughout his freshman yr, however it seems that with a renewed sense of confidence and a full offseason of labor, capturing may very well be on the rise for the Baylor product coming into his second marketing campaign.
George and the Jazz have their subsequent preseason sport across the nook, as Utah faces the Houston Rockets Monday on the Delta Heart, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. MT.
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