Even though Utah’s record has slipped recently, rookie Keyonte George continues to develop at a rapid pace. In his last performance, George scored 31 points and nearly led the Jazz to an upset victory Saturday in Miami.
This offensive production, on 12 of 23 shots, placed his name alongside some former Jazz greats who have continued to excel in the NBA. It was the third time this season that George reached the 30-point mark, placing him with Darrell Griffith and Donovan Mitchell as the only three Utah players to accomplish the feat in their first year in the league.
“Right now,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said, “I’m encouraging Keyonte to take as many shots as possible.”
George will get the nod again Monday night in Salt Lake City when the Jazz return from a winless three-game road trip in the East to host the Washington Wizards.
In the 126-120 loss to the Heat, George made six of 14 3-pointers, grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists. Lauri Markkanen added 25 points for the Jazz, while Collin Sexton and John Collins scored 18 each.
The progress of George – and, more recently, his compatriot Taylor Hendricks (13 rebounds against Miami) – has been a beacon of hope for a team that has lost 11 of its last 14 games.
“I thought Keyonte was incredibly aggressive all night,” Hardy said after the loss to the Heat. “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. “
The Jazz held an 11-point lead in the third quarter before Butler led the Heat to victory.
“We continue to grow as a team,” George said. “We’re still young. And it’s a phenomenal team we just played.”
The Jazz will now face a Wizards team that is also going through serious difficulties. Washington has lost 14 games in a row, including recent back-to-back losses in Los Angeles against the Lakers and Clippers.
Former University of Utah forward Kyle Kuzma has been a bright spot for the Wizards. He scored 32 points in Friday’s loss to the Clippers.
“I thought Kyle was really trying to get on his back to get us back,” Washington interim coach Brian Keefe said of Kuzma’s effort against the Clippers. “He just felt the need to step things up for us, and he did that all year for us.”
Utah defeated Washington on the road, 123-108, on January 25. The Wizards won their next two games after that, but haven’t won since beating the San Antonio Spurs on January 29. The Jazz have only won four games since their victory. previous meeting with Washington.
“I think we’re seeing growth,” Keefe said. “I think we’re doing things better. I think it’s showing. We just need to do it longer and be more consistent, but it’s showing in stretches. (Friday) just wasn’t as much as we wanted it to be . “.
Washington is two losses away from tying the franchise’s longest losing streak. He had a good chance to end the skid Thursday against the Lakers when Jordan Poole scored 34 points. But the Wizards lost in overtime after Poole’s game-winning 3-point attempt at the end of regulation went offline.
“I’m proud of our guys, just for the way we at least closed out the game,” Poole said. “We fought. … Look closely (at the buzzer). Look, I wanted to. Just a little left. I’ll shoot again.”
