Keyonte George's breakthrough says the quiet part out loud about Jazz's direction

When Keyonte George first showing signs of taking a leap early on this season, the next question was whether he could keep this up or if this was just a tease. With the calendar year almost over, not only has it been the former, but he's only further ascended since then. Doing so shows that while many fans will disagree, the Jazz won't tank because George is too good to allow that to happen.

The NBA revealed a pretty telling stat about how good George has been. They aren't just impressive numbers. They are All-Star numbers.

George really has been the difference maker for the Jazz. While Lauri Markkanen playing at an All-Star level is a fun change of pace compared to last season, it's not exactly a surprise because he has done that before. George is a different story.

If he remained the same player he was last season, the Jazz would probably be right back in the tanking game, even with Markkanen's efforts. Because George is playing at an All-Star level, the Jazz are too good to tank. Take, for example, the Jazz's overtime win over the Mavericks. The Jazz's other youngsters showed out, but it wouldn't have even been a game without George.

There's no question now that George is a building block for the Jazz's future, so the smartest move for them is to continue developing him. Trying to hold a 22-year-old star in the making like him back in the hopes of getting a better pick could potentially stunt his growth.

So that means the Jazz will not tank, which they promised they wouldn't back in the summer. George has shown he's too good to allow them to do it. The pro-tankers may hate that, but there's no reason to mess with a good thing just because it could stop Utah from getting another good thing.

So how good could the Jazz be?

The primary reason why some Jazz fans may be frustrated with this course of action is that if they continue down this path, they are very much in line to give Oklahoma City their pick. The secondary reason is that Jazz fans have seen this in the Markkanen era from 2022 to 2024 and hate being in no-man's land.

This, however, feels different. George has only gotten better as the season has gone on, as his shooting averages are now up, which basically was the only part of his game that was holding him back from reaching an All-Star level. Because of that, the playoffs are certainly not out of the question.

The Jazz may wind up missing out again, but this time it feels like they truly have the potential to be something special as they are currently constructed. Bailey looks like his time is definitely coming, and pending any surprises, Walker Kessler will be back in action next season.

It would be fantastic for the Jazz to have their cake and eat it by adding a golden lottery pick to this, but George becoming a star right before our eyes should make fans feel very excited for what's to come because of it.