With Summer League in full swing and nothing else to write about (we all know I'm not writing about the MLB) I think it's time to start overreacting to meaningless basketball. On my first addition of overreacting to Summer League I am overreacting to Utah Jazz rookie Keyonte George, who has been the best rookie in Vegas by far.
pc: via KSL News
When I did my mock draft about a month ago I wasn't very high on Keyonte George. I had him going at the back of the lottery, and apart from his scoring I wasn't a big fan of his game and how it would translate to the NBA level. NBA front offices seemed to somewhat agree, as he fell all the way to the 16th pick where he was taken by the Jazz. However, after only two Summer League games I am willing to admit that I was very wrong and I assume those front offices feel a similar sentiment. George has been nothing short of spectacular in his two Summer League games, and it's starting to look like a lot of teams messed up letting him slide so far in the draft.
In his debut game in Vegas, George had 33 points and 10 assists while shooting 40% from three and 50% from the field. Then, just to show folks it wasn't a fluke, he had 26 points and 7 assists while shooting 50% from three and 60% from the field. On top of great personal stats he has also lead this subpar Jazz Summer League team (minus Ochai Agbaji) to two wins. His scoring has been even better than we expected it to be, but it's his playmaking acumen that has impressed me the most. He has made the guys on this Summer League team look like seasoned veterans with his facilitating. In addition to that, he hasn't turned the ball over badly and he doesn't commit fouls. In layman's terms, he has been very very good.
I expect George to sit the rest of the Summer League after these performances. The front office has seen all they need to see, this guy has cemented his rotation spot. As of today I care way more about his development than I do someone like Collin Sexton, so I hope he gets more minutes than Sexton this season. I like George more than Clarkson as of today. I like George more than THT as of today. I am really hoping we see him starting within the first few weeks of the season. These Summer League games were all we needed from George to know where he stands on this team. We still have to wait and see what Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh bring to the table when they come back from injuries when the season starts, but as of right now I am already ecstatic about this Utah rookie class.