Utah Jazz forward John Collins, left, and Jazz guard Keyonte George celebrate before a game between the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. George will represent the Jazz in tonight’s Rising Stars event, which kicks off NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis.
Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
On Thursday night, Keyonte George didn’t have much time.
A chartered flight, provided by the NBA, was waiting for him and fellow Rising Stars participant Walker Kessler. The pair needed quick and direct travel to Indianapolis in order to be ready for the 2024 All-Star Weekend festivities that kick off Friday.
The Jazz played a rescheduled regular-season game against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night, leaving very little time for anything. Forty-eight minutes of heavy competition, a brief postgame interview with reporters and a shower.
But George made the most of every moment.
Though the Jazz were narrowly beat by the Warriors on Thursday, 140-137, in a game that was fought to the very last second, George was superb — scoring a career-best 33 points while tying the NBA rookie record for most 3-pointers in a single game with nine.
“Tonight was probably his sort of coming out party,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “I think we saw tonight what I’ve been seeing, and we’ve been seeing behind closed doors in terms of his ability to get those shots off in a variety of ways.”
Through most of the season, George has been tentative to assert himself offensively early on in games. He has often seemed timid as he’s felt out the game through the first half, before finding some confidence with picking his spots and being a little more aggressive in the second half.
Hardy has been understanding and respectful of George’s approach — realizing that as a rookie, it will take time for him to feel confident not only with his own teammates, but also with how different players around the league will guard him.
Though, while Hardy has been understanding, he’s also pushed George. He wants George to take open shots, early, often, always. And that’s exactly what happened Thursday night.
“Will harps on me a lot about taking the right shots, taking open shots,” George said. “With just how aggressive I was, how intentional I was every possession down the floor, trying to impact the game, impact and winning, I would definitely agree with this being a coming out party for me.”
Even though the turnaround is quick — Rising Stars practice is Friday morning and the Rising Stars tournament begins at 7 p.m. MST Friday night — the timing is just right.
There has never been a point during his rookie season when George has felt out of place. Since his first days with the Jazz, he emphasized that he knows this is where he belongs and that he has a lot to offer the NBA. It was just a matter of time before the NBA caught on to what George knows.
So scoring 33 points and hitting nine 3s in a game the night before his first All-Star Weekend appearance is the kind of coincidence that feels right for George.
“I’m excited, I’m really excited,” he said. “I’m gonna be around a lot of great talent, elite-level talent, for sure. And I’m just trying to soak it all in, get to be around All-Stars, try to pick their brain and try to learn this weekend. Show my face, grow my brand.”
Though the 33 points on Thursday and being named to the Rising Stars team are great, there was a moment in the game against Golden State that was emblematic of what George wants this weekend to be.
It was the moment when George was the most animated, the most hyped up during the loss to Golden State. With just over one minute to play, George was guarding Stephen Curry on the perimeter — a tall task for any NBA defender.
George stuck with Curry through all of his crossovers, fakes and direction and speed changes. Ultimately, as Curry was driving right toward the sideline, George was issued a foul (a ticky-tack foul that probably could have been a no-call). But George wasn’t discouraged. Rather, he was proud and fired up from going toe-to-toe with one of the NBA’s great players.
“Just looking for a stop,” George said. “A physical play. You know, I’m a rookie and he’s been in league for a long time, so of course, the whistle may not go my way. But I’m just trying to fight, trying to be physical and put it out there that I’m not gonna back down.”
That’s what George wants the league to know. That’s what he’s hoping to show. He can put up 30-plus point games, he can hang with the best players in the league and he’s not going to back down.
He wants you to know his face, to know who he is, because he’s not going anywhere. This is where he belongs, and he’ll be here for a long time.
Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) guards against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry during game Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Salt Lake City. After scoring a career-high 33 points against Warriors, George is off to Indianapolis, where he will participate in the Rising Stars event Friday night.
Rick Bowmer, Associated Press