The rookie was cooking on Saturday night. Keyonte George has not had a good rookie season and lost his spot in the starting lineup for good reason. He was missing shots, turning the ball over, and playing terrible defense. Yet, we remain hopeful for his progression. Why, do so many fans remain hopeful over a player who hasn't looked great for so long? Because of nights like this.
Saturday night, George was instrumental in the shocking win over the Miami Heat, helping the Jazz win 117-109, part of the reason being Geore's clutch shooting near the end of the game. George went 6-10 from the floor, 5-8 of which were from beyond the three-point line.
He finished with 21 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a box plus-minus of +14. He did have two turnovers, but overall he was a much better performer against a much better team than he had been. It's arguably the best outing of his young career and a true sign that George can in fact mature into a quality player, as long as he continues to put in the effort and progress.
While he did have a good game, he's got to do this more often. That's been one of the big issues with him all year, the inconsistency from the rookie. He's shooting just 36.4% from the floor and 33.6% from three. Not great numbers for someone you're leaning on to generate offense. Despite his poor shot selection though, he's put together a nice stat line for the season, with 11.0 points, 4.9 assists,, and 3.0 rebounds per game.
If he can continue to improve his shot, put together some more performances where he's efficient with the ball, and doesn't cost the team any points (or very limited points) with his defense, he may in fact turn into the team's long-term point guard after all.