The Utah Jazz lost Keyonte George during their Summer League game to the Denver Nuggets with an ankle sprain.
One of the things that the Utah Jazz can say this Summer League is that they’re resilient. They aren’t going to roll over if someone goes down, or if they’re missing major pieces. They’re going to fight their tails off, and that’s exactly what they need to do now, with Keyonte George likely lost for the rest of the Summer League.
George suffered an ankle sprain early in the game, playing just 10 minutes but putting up a decent stat line all things considered. He shot 2-5 from the field but scored six points, and had three rebounds, two assists, and a steal all in limited action. That’s a solid outing for someone who plays 20 minutes in a game.
Offensively the loss of George hurt the Jazz, as the team had to adapt on the fly to be without their leading scorer during the Las Vegas Summer League. Heading into the game against the Denver Nuggets, he was second in the league in scoring with 29.5 points per game over the first two games, while also being third in assists with 8.5
Not having him for the next two games will hurt the Jazz’s performances, but ultimately will be better for George and the team in the long run. While it’d be great for the Jazz to win the Summer League playoffs, what’s more, important is to make sure George is ready for the regular season; so that he can help push the Jazz into the playoffs.
Unfortunately, the injury to George will likely bring to a close the 2023 rookie class’s involvement in the Summer League. George now joins Taylor Hendriks and Brice Sensabaughg, the team’s other two first-round picks, on the injured list.
Hendricks, the 9th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has been out with a hamstring strain since before the draft. Sensabaugh has been out as well, having had his left knee operated on. Despite being injured, both players have been with the team in Las Vegas, and have participated in on-court workouts. Making it very likely that both men and presumably George, will be ready for training camp.