After a disappointing sophomore season with the Utah Jazz, Keyonte George has already been somewhat forgotten, but that can change with the right attitude, and it appears George is aware of this. While the jury's still out on whether or not he will improve in Year 3, George is taking on a more leadership role, which is flipping the script, considering he was anything but that last season.
George's leadership was the talk of Jazz Media Day, as Austin Ainge revealed that George took his Jazz teammates down to Dallas during the offseason.
"Keyonte, I thought, particularly had a big leadership role this summer," Ainge told reporters. "He took guys to Dallas and showed them around and got them in the gym. He was kind of orchestrating a lot of the social activities, they went to football games, and hikes, and all these types of things... He's used some of his leadership skills bringing these guys together."
That is actually pretty cool to see from George. Utah's roster is flooded with young talent, but for young talent to translate into a winning product, a leader is necessary ingredient, and it looks like George is taking that role upon himself.
During his Media Day Press Conference, George sounded much more appreciative for the opportunity to be a Jazzman.
Entering year three, Keyonte George has a newfound appreciation for the @utahjazz and his opportunity in the NBA.
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 29, 2025
"You can’t take this for granted. Being in the NBA, every day you’ve got to do something that’s making you better.”#takenote https://t.co/IsQQHyUaQ2
It sounds like George developed a better mindset during the offseason. One fun fact is that he is the longest-tenured Jazzman outside of Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler. Once Utah got rid of all of their veterans, it sounds like George went out of his way to take the mantle as the leader of their youth movement.
That's even more impressive when you consider that not too long ago, his attitude as a player came into question.
George got a bad rep for his body language
George isn't coming off a terrible season with Utah, but he is coming off a pretty underwhelming one. He never quite found himself when many hoped he would last season, but worse than that, an expose came out revealing that George's body language last season was none too impressive.
Because he struggled with his inconsistency, seeing that George also had an attitude only further put his long-term role with Utah into question. Seeing him adopt this new approach is really refreshing as Utah continues to embrace its youth.
Will this translate into anything on the court for George or for the team in general? Only time will tell, but regardless of how he fares, he won't be a problem and could be the leader that helps the Jazz play as a team.