Utah’s Keyonte George brings the ball up court docket because the Jazz and the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder play in Summer time League motion on the Delta Heart in Salt Lake Metropolis on Monday, July 3, 2023. Jazz lose 95-85. Scott G Winterton, Deseret Information
LAS VEGAS — When a staff has a first-round decide, taken sixteenth total, who's the point of interest of the staff’s Summer time League squad, the hope is that he vindicates and validates the staff’s determination to draft him.
For essentially the most half, Keyonte George has pulled his weight in making the Utah Jazz’s entrance workplace look good this summer time. After a sluggish however promising begin within the Salt Lake Metropolis Summer time League, he adopted up his 33-point, 10-assist Las Vegas debut with a 26-point efficiency within the Jazz’s 108-96 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night time.
“I feel everybody likes what they see, proper?” Jazz Summer time League head coach Evan Bradds stated. “However I feel they wish to preserve seeing it … He will get higher each sport. It retains getting a bit of bit higher.”
It’s clear that George has the offensive instruments that the Jazz noticed after they had been scouting him — he’s capable of rating in any respect three ranges and has proven that he has the wherewithal to be a major ball handler. However that doesn’t imply he’s a completed product.
Summer time League is one factor, and the NBA is a very completely different beast. Coping with the size, energy and expertise towards NBA gamers goes to check George in new methods.
“That’s powerful,” Bradds stated. “I feel it’s powerful for anyone. NBA size is actual and the athleticism is a part of that. (Keyonte) does job of utilizing his velocity, agility, no matter you wish to name it, to form of counter that. As he will get extra reps below him he’ll get higher at it.”
George acquired a small style of what’s to come back on Monday, taking part in towards Minnesota’s Josh Minott, an NBA sophomore ahead.
“He’s an awesome defender,” George stated. “He was exhibiting his size, poking on the ball. I imply, I feel I used to be capable of get him off the road and attempt to get to my spots, but it surely was very aggressive between me and him. It was enjoyable to get that have with NBA size, NBA physicality with a tricky defender.”
And though George was capable of nonetheless put up 26 factors, he is aware of that there are more durable and stronger opponents that he’ll should cope with on the subsequent stage. That makes energy conditioning certainly one of George’s high offseason priorities.
“That’s gonna be my fundamental focus going into coaching camp,” George stated. “I’ll return house, get in elite-level form, get stronger, keep centered on my physique. I’ll proceed to get photographs up and ensure every thing on the basketball court docket is as much as par. However, like I stated, my fundamental focus goes to be ensuring I’m in elite-level form, so come common season, I’m capable of chase guys off down screens or get excessive of screens, issues like that.”
Gaining energy goes to be vital for George on either side of the ball. It’ll be vital when he’s driving to the basket and going towards the NBA’s greatest rim protectors. He’ll want that energy to have the ability to combat round screens and to create alternatives for himself and his teammates. However the offensive facet of issues is more likely to come simpler than the opposite.
On protection there's going to be a studying curve for George that features the necessity to acquire energy, the necessity for constant reps and most of all, time.
“He’s 19 years outdated,” Bradds stated. “So the extra he performs, the extra he’ll get comfy with the physicality … and he’ll have the ability to play with extra freedom.”