The season might still be young for the Utah Jazz, but it's old enough now that what Keyonte George has done to start should not be considered a fluke. After his impressive performance against the Lakers, George's ascension has recently garnered comparisons to Damian Lillard. That's setting the bar a little high, but it goes to show that George has an All-Star ceiling.
The Athletic's Es Baraheni delved into George's improved play while talking with Dave DuFour.
"I saw a lot of people on Twitter today saying that he looked kind of like Dame out there. That's sort of the mold he wants to eventually get to. Still a long way to go as a three-point shooter, as a guy who can initiate offense for you," Baraheni said.
Because George has looked incredible in pretty much every area except his inconsistent floor spacing, it stands out like a sore thumb. Make no mistake, though, George's play has gotten the hype train back on track when many had lost faith in him. He may not ever be on the same level as prime Lillard was, but was Dame known for making plays like this in his heyday?
Keyonte George plays safety and gets the volleyball-like pass breakup pic.twitter.com/jgFH7f0mZI
— r/nba_highlights (@rNBAHighlights) November 19, 2025
No matter what his peak is, the game is coming so easily for George. He's making the right play on both sides of the floor. Even if his efficiency is still erratic, George isn't relinquishing his starting spot anytime soon in Utah. If his shooting comes around, the Jazz can't ask anything more from him.
The Jazz have a certified blossoming young star
That is the biggest conclusion from all of this. When a team enters a rebuild, it's not guaranteed that they will draft a young star. In fact, it may take a while before they draft one and it may take even longer for a young player to become a star. There were lots of doubts about George after last season, but he's proven that simply, he just needed some time.
Now that he's proven that he has the potential to be a star, the Jazz can feel very confident about the future. It was already exciting enough that Lauri Markkanen is playing at an All-NBA level, but Utah already knew how good he was. George was a different story, and now the Jazz have someone special blossoming.
They also hope they can add more to the arsenal as more time passes (Hello Ace Bailey!), but they have a young franchise pillar in George. The Jazz may very well finish with a record just as bad, if not worse, than last season, but with his improvement, they'll still feel so much better about themselves by season's end.