On the surface, this has been yet anothet disastrous season for the Utah Jazz. They are still one of the NBA's worst teams who have gone out of their way to lose the majority of their games. However, anyone who has paid close attention can see that a lot more went right for them despite losing about as many as they dud last year, and at the center of that is Keyonte George.
The Jazz's losing ways has overshadowed that George had a strong case to make the All-Star team and win the NBA's Most Improved Player award (before his latest injury got in the way). For everything that's gone wrong for the Jazz overall, pretty much everything went right for George.
What makes his evolution even better is the metamorphosis he not only had as a player. It was around this time last year that not only did he underwhelm in Year 2, but there were also concerns about an attitude problem late in the season, making it easy to believe his days as a Jazzman were numbered.
That was reported by The Deseret News' Sarah Todd last year, and almost a year later, Todd basically confirmed how much George has changed since then.
George is now a model teammates (after being the exact opposite last year)
In Todd's tell-all last year, she basically confirmed George has distanced himself from teammates during their struggles. That's not the case anymore, as she revealed that George has been there for his teammates despite what his injury had put him through.
"George, as the Jazz’s starting point guard is required to take on a leading role," Todd wrote. "That role has been difficult to adjust to and learning everything that the role entails has required a lot of effort from George. But it’s a role that he has embraced and the responsibility of being a leader on and off the court is something that George has welcomed.
"So, when things looked bleak, and he was feeling emotional back on March 11, he didn’t allow his mood to fester or permeate through the locker room."
It further demonstrates the kind of player George has become compared to where he was at this time last season. George discussed how, during the offseason, his approach was improving himself mentally more than anything else. It didn't translate into a whole lot more wins, but his surge as a player (and as a teammate) has convinced many that Utah is in better hands now than they were a year ago.
In fact, it's hard to disagree with the notion that George's ascension was what made Utah trade for Jaren Jackson Jr., as his play confirmed Utah had a building block in him and could have yet another one in JJJ.
Yes, from a record standpoint, this was yet another terrible season of the Jazz, but there's a whole lot more optimism now compared to last year. It's fair to say that George taking a leap as a player and teammate took a primary role in why no one will be down on them when this season ends.