{"id":322850,"date":"2025-11-30T19:09:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T19:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/322850\/"},"modified":"2025-11-30T19:09:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T19:09:09","slug":"utah-jazz-guard-keyonte-george-is-making-the-jump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/322850\/","title":{"rendered":"Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George is making the jump"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN FRANCISCO \u2013 Is Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George the NBA\u2019s best kept offensive secret?<\/p>\n

Outside of Utah and the Jazz\u2019s fanbase, Jazz head coach Will Hardy agreed about George who appears to be a budding NBA star.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what the NBA is or isn\u2019t saying,\u201d Hardy said prior to 134-117 loss at Golden State on Nov. 24. \u201cBut I would think that if people were paying attention at all, he should be in that conversation because of the jump he has taken this year. And he is doing it in a variety of ways. It\u2019s not like he\u2019s red hot from 3 and hitting eight of them a game.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s doing it in so many ways: His poise. His conditioning. His strength. Getting to the free-throw line. Making mid-range shots. Finishing better at the rim. So, hopefully people are paying attention to that. I know for us internally, our fan base, we see it and feel it every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Said George to Andscape: \u201cObviously, I\u2019m going to think that. This is a small market. I just have so much fun going out there and playing now.\u201d<\/p>\n

On and off the court, the Jazz are having a lot more fun with a much more mentally free George, too.<\/p>\n

George entered Sunday averaging career highs in points (23.8), assists (7.2), rebounds (4.1) rebounds and free throw attempts (7.1) per game. The 22-year-old also is shooting a career-best 44.9% from the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been cool. Obviously, this is what I expected with the work I put in this summer,\u201d George said. \u201cBut now my mind is kind of set to, \u2018How do you deal with success?\u2019 I\u2019m not trying to get too high when things aren\u2019t going my way or being too hard on myself. So, I\u2019m to the point where I\u2019m trying to navigate success on a night-to-night basis and understanding my responsibility on the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"KeyonteKeyonte George (right) poses with NBA commissioner Adam Silver (left) after being drafted 16th overall pick by the Utah Jazz during the first round of the 2023 NBA draft at Barclays Center on June 22, 2023, in Brooklyn, New York.<\/p>\n

Sarah Stier\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

For George, there has been an evolution as a person and a player since arriving to the Jazz as the 16th overall pick from Baylor in the 2023 NBA draft.<\/p>\n

While known for his scoring, George was put in a new and uncomfortable position by Hardy of playing point guard as a rookie. Hardy coached George hard with accountability and pushed him to be more vocal. George started in 44 of 75 games and averaged 13 points and 4.4 assists per game as a rookie.<\/p>\n

In his second season, George averaged 15.6 points, 5.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game while starting in 35 of 67 games. The biggest headlines in George\u2019s second season came from being benched a couple times by Hardy for mental and defensive lapses while losing his starting position to Isaiah Collier and Collin Sexton. The young George had also built a reputation of being stubborn and immature at times, sources said.<\/p>\n

After what Hardy described as a \u201cpowerful\u201d and \u201cat times emotional\u201d meeting with George in the head coach\u2019s office after last season, the coach believes a light switched on for the young guard.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just had a really raw conversation,\u201d Hardy said. \u201cIt was not yelling and screaming. There was back and forth from both of us. But if I could sum up my message in general, it\u2019s that it doesn\u2019t matter how much I want it, it doesn\u2019t matter what anyone else says. But it\u2019s going to have to start with him wanting more and expecting more from himself. Keyonte knows how much I believe in him. He knows I\u2019m watching his every move because I care about him and I believe in his ability.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that conversation was a moment where I believe we got to level with each other on where we both are in this process ultimately to reaffirm to each other that we are in it together. I remember telling him in that conversation that if he thinks I\u2019m going to stop or if he thinks I\u2019m going to back away or he thinks I\u2019m going to abandon him, he is wrong. I\u2019m going to be forehead to forehead in the fight until where we get to where we want to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, it goes back to love \u2013 AndscapeRead now<\/a><\/p>\n

Said George: \u201cOur relationship is on a whole other level now. My exit interview was brutal. Will shot it to me straight. Will calls me late at night and tells me little things like, \u2018Play defense,\u2019 and then he hangs up. But also, we got to the realization where we have some great dialogue. He doesn\u2019t like some stuff and I try to communicate what I was thinking and the group was thinking.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is important for me. With the position I\u2019m playing, I\u2019m a second him on the floor. He can\u2019t play. So, I\u2019m thinking for the group trying to execute what he wants every single possession. Our relationship from my first year to now it\u2019s completely different.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hardy also told George in their meeting that \u201cit starts with how he treats himself and what he expects from himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

A month after the meeting, Hardy was pleasantly surprised that George was not taking days off and was regularly in the Jazz\u2019s practice facility working on his overall game. George also decided to \u201cstep up as a leader\u201d by hosting a group of young Jazz teammates in his hometown of Dallas last offseason for basketball and conditioning workouts, cameraderie building and fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first day is the first day, he\u2019s going hard,\u201d Hardy said about George\u2019s offseason work. \u201cBut I think 10 days in [I notice] he\u2019s got a different presence about him. He has a different work ethic. You start to hear the different murmurs from other people in the building working with him\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a couple weeks of that, you starting thinking, \u2018Oh maybe this is a trend.\u2019 And then he started to see some results. People say \u2018process matters, the results don\u2019t,\u2019 but sometimes seeing a little bit of results can help fuel the process and help you double down on it. That early part of the summer you can tell he was locked in in a very different way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Said George: \u201cI\u2019m in the gym in the morning, I eat my lunch, take a nap and them I\u2019m back in the gym at night. It\u2019s repetitive. It was uncomfortable to do that every single day. But the work just became consistent and I find joy in it now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"UtahUtah Jazz guards Keyonte George (left) and Brice Sensabaugh (right) talk during the game against the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 24 at Chase Center in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

Noah Graham\/NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Adding to George\u2019s offseason drive was the potential offensive opportunity that came with the Jazz\u2019s roster moves.<\/p>\n

The Jazz traded Sexton and starting forward John Collins while adding role playing veterans Jusuf Nurkic, Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson. Veteran guard Jordan Clarkson was also bought out of his contract while rookies Ace Bailey and Walter Clayton Jr. were drafted. <\/p>\n

While 2023 NBA All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen is still the Jazz\u2019s top offensive option, the moves gave George a chance to fill the second spot.<\/p>\n

\u201cOpportunity came for all of us,\u201d George said. \u201c[Clarkson, Collins and Sexton] were amongst on top of the scouting report when we played other teams. Now I kind of knew that if we didn\u2019t make any other moves, obviously Lauri is at the top. But who was going to step up there? It drove me the whole summer.\u201d<\/p>\n

George also acknowledged that a big part of his improvement this offseason came from his mental health growth.<\/p>\n

The Jazz\u2019s staff includes Dr. Ronald Kimmons, the franchise\u2019s vice president of player wellness, who serves as a clinical sport psychologist<\/a>. During the offseason, George attended Kimmons\u2019 eight group sessions for players with fewer than three years of NBA experience. Through the \u201cgraduate level\u201d sports psychology classes, Kimmons emphasized understanding the connection of the mind and body through breath, personal drive, the difference between mental skills work and training, goal setting, self-confidence on and off the court, focus, team cohesion and visualization. George also added that he was aided by Dr. Craig Manning, an adjunct professor of performance psychology at Brigham Young University.<\/p>\n

George said he was apprehensive working with Kimmons during his first two seasons because he believed he had the mental strength to succeed on his own. But after his second season, George decided to \u201ctry new things\u201d in the mental health space. George said Kimmons and Manning have helped him have a \u201cclear mind for all 82 [regular-season games]\u201d and he enjoys talking about the \u201cscience of the mind.\u201d <\/p>\n

After taking losses very hard his first two seasons, George says he has learned to \u201creset himself\u201d to realize that the bad moment is just temporary.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were helpful in the mental part of the game,\u201d George said. \u201cI was with Dr. Ron during the early part of the summer. He got a group together and talked about the science of the mind and talking different things to get our camaraderie right. At the end of the day, the hardest thing in the NBA is camaraderie.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Craig, we\u2019ve been talking about the simple stuff like, \u2018Fear isn\u2019t real.\u2019 Right now, we are talking about a 3-to-1 ratio, three things you do good and do improve on. We are trying to get the subconscious mind closer to the conscious mind. Craig says that is the fastest way to develop. I\u2019ve seen a big jump with that. My mind is clearer on the court. At the end of the day, the work you put in during the summer will carry over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Said Kimmons to Andscape on George: \u201cHe\u2019s seemed to lean into [the teachings] overall. My sense is he has been doing a lot of work on his own and with some folks and taking the pieces he needs. And I\u2019m just trying to support him and all the guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"UtahUtah Jazz head coach Will Hardy (right) says Keyonte George (left) deserves the credit for his improvement in his third NBA season.<\/p>\n

Kelsey Grant\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

One reason why George\u2019s play appears to be a secret outside of Utah is that the Jazz are only scheduled to be national television twice this season with the first appearance in late January. Winning certainly helps as well. Although they have been more competitive \u2013 one game out of the 10-seed needed to qualify for the play-in tournament \u2013 the rebuilding Jazz are still just 6-12. But due to George\u2019s improvement and quick start, he\u2019s a potential Most Improved Player candidate.<\/p>\n

As George and the Jazz continue to improve, he expects to become an NBA All-Star on a winning team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI set my goals at the beginning of the summer on the court and off,\u201d George said. \u201cOne of those goals obviously is All-Star and Most Improved. But one of the biggest goals for me was winning. So, if we win, I feel like a lot of those things will come to fruition. Everything will take care of itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, it\u2019s human nature to think about some of the individual accolades. That has popped up on my mind. But the main thing for me is winning and getting better, honestly, every single day.\u201d <\/p>\n

Said Hardy: \u201cI\u2019m proud of him. He deserves the credit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marc J. Spears is the senior NBA writer for Andscape. He used to be able to dunk on you, but he hasn\u2019t been able to in years and his knees still hurt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN FRANCISCO \u2013 Is Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George the NBA\u2019s best kept offensive secret? Outside of Utah…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":322851,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[355,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-322850","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-nba","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=322850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322850\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/322851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=322850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=322850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=322850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}