Because the Utah Jazz's long-term prospects have improved significantly over the course of the season (despite their tanking), they are receiving more praise as a team. Keyonte George, one of the NBA's biggest All-Star snubs, recently got shouted out by former two-time MVP and NBA legend Steve Nash for how far he's come along and how his improvement has impacted the team.
During his podcast, "Mind the Game," Nash singled out George for why he's excited for what's to come from the Jazz next season.
"I'm very intrigued and excited for Utah just to get going now... and I think a lot of that is George. His development, them recognizing it, they think they have an All-Star caliber player in the future, very talented," Nashh said.
Nash was one of the best players & point guards of his era, winning two consecutive MVPs in 2005 and 2006 and making the Basketball Hall of Fame the first chance he got. Seeing him give George that kind of praise is fantastic to see and should make Jazz fans feel confident about their future.
And it's not like Nash is wrong here. Shortly after the JJJ trade, it was confirmed that George's ascension played a role in Utah's decision to trade for Jackson in the first place, further demonstrating how much more exciting the Jazz believe they can become with him.
There will be plenty of talk of how good the Jazz will be next season, and it's fair to suggest that George deserves a hefty portion of the credit when they do.
Nash's story is similar to George's
George's phenomenal improvement overshadows how uncertain his future was with the Jazz after an underwhelming sophomore season. Needless to say, it took longer than expected, but George finally became the All-Star Utah believed they had after his rookie season.
It sounds ridiculous now, but Nash was in a similar predicament during his playing days. It took him some time to figure out the kind of player he was. It took George until Year 3 for him to start playing at an All-Star level, while it took Nash until Year 5 (plus being traded after Year 2) to do the same (Related note: his improvement played a role in Dallas beating Utah in 2001).
It didn't stop there for Nash, obviously, and who's to say George's improvement stops after this season? No one should set the bar at Most Valuable Player for George, but no one should rule that out either. George isn't the same player as Nash, but he doesn't necessarily need to be to have the same impact.
When the Jazz start winning, don't be surprised when George starts making some All-Star teams going forward, and if this is only the beginning for him, a Steve Nash-like career may be in the cards for him.