Keyonte George

Jazz’s Keyonte George To Undergo MRI On Thursday

December 13th, 2023 at 11:00pm CST by Rory Maher

Jazz guard Keyonte George will undergo an MRI on his left ankle on Thursday after sustaining an injury in the first quarter of Utah’s victory over New York on Wednesday, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

According to Walden and his Salt Lake Tribune colleague Andy Larsen (Twitter links), George initially tried to play through the injury before limping to the locker room. The Jazz referred to it as a left foot injury when they ruled him out for the remainder of the contest, but it sounds like it may be an ankle issue based on the latest update.

The Jazz have struggled to open the 2023/24 season and currently own an 8-16 record, but George has been a bright spot, averaging 11.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists through 23 healthy games (26.7 minutes). However, as is the case with many rookies, scoring efficiency has been an issue for the 20-year-old, who has posted a .362/.322/.781 shooting line to this point.

George, who was selected 16th overall in this year’s draft, scored a career-high 30 points in Monday’s loss to Oklahoma City. He claimed a starting job just nine games into the 2023/24 season, replacing Talen Horton-Tucker.

Hopefully the injury is minor. The Jazz have dealt with injuries to multiple rotation players this fall, including star forward Lauri Markkanen, who just returned from a hamstring strain in the same game George was injured. Walker Kessler (elbow) and Jordan Clarkson (leg) have also missed several games, with Clarkson out at least two more weeks.

If George misses more time, Collin Sexton, Horton-Tucker, Ochai Agbaji and Kris Dunn all figure to receive more playing time.

Northwest Notes: SGA, OKC, K. George, Jazz, R. Jackson

December 12th, 2023 at 9:26am CST by Luke Adams

After finishing fifth in NBA MVP voting in 2022/23, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is building another strong case for the award this season, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman.

Gilgeous-Alexander is once again averaging over 30 points per game through his first 21 contests, and he’s scoring those points more efficiently, with career highs in field goal percentage (55.0%) and free throw percentage (91.7%). He’s also dishing a career-best 6.2 assists and is leading the NBA with 2.8 steals per night, establishing himself as a legitimate All-Defensive candidate, Mussatto opines. On top of all that, Oklahoma City’s 15-7 record is good for second place in the Western Conference.

According to Mussatto, if he were casting an MVP ballot today he’d have usual suspects Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid at the top, but Gilgeous-Alexander would come be at No. 3.

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Oklahoma City voters will head to the polls on Tuesday to decide whether or not to approve a six-year, one percent sales tax that would help fund a new arena for the Thunder. Sean Murphy of The Associated Press has the story on the vote and the plan for a new arena, which is expected to cost at least $900MM.
The Jazz were beaten soundly in Oklahoma City on Monday to fall to 7-16 on the season, but the play of rookie guard Keyonte George was a silver lining, as he scores 30 points for the first time in his professional career, per Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. “Tonight is good for his mentality,” head coach Will Hardy said. “Now he’s seen himself do it. … There’s always a part of your brain that’s not sure if you can actually do it.”
After the good vibes that last season generated, the Jazz have to tread carefully as they struggle to compile wins this season, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. While Utah isn’t expected to be a playoff or play-in team, the club needs to make sure it’s competing hard and playing the right way to avoid developing a losing culture, Jones notes.
Speaking to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Nuggets guard Reggie Jackson discussed what it meant to win an NBA championship, taking on a bigger role in Denver this season, and the opportunity to play alongside Nikola Jokic (“the best player in the world”), among other topics.

Northwest Notes: George, Yurtseven, Kessler, Brown, Green

November 30th, 2023 at 9:12pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The early part of the season has been a struggle for the Jazz as they battle through stints of inconsistency, according to The Athletic’s Tony Jones. Still, there have been some bright spots, the biggest of which is finding their starting point guard of the future in rookie Keyonte George, Jones writes.

George is running the floor with confidence and his efforts helped the Jazz earn back-to-back wins over the Pelicans on Saturday and Monday, as he put up a combined 34 points and eight assists over that stretch. George is averaging 11.8 points and 6.3 assists to 2.4 turnovers in the 10 games since becoming Utah’s full-time starter.

Other highlights from that two-game stretch for the Jazz include players like Simone Fontecchio, Omer Yurtseven and Talen Horton-Tucker stepping up.

“The best thing for me watching us is that we felt like a team,” head coach Will Hardy said.

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Yurtseven and Walker Kessler, the latter of whom moved to the bench with the former starting, were key factors in the Jazz‘s back-to-back wins, according to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. Players and coaches on the team agreed that Yurtseven’s strength allows the Jazz to be more physical with traditional centers, per Walden. “Those two guys are giving us a big presence on both sides of the ball,” Hardy said. “… Having a couple of traditional bigs has definitely helped us the last two games.“
Timberwolves guard Troy Brown was mostly out of the rotation to begin the year, but began earning minutes after Jaden McDaniels went down with an ankle injury. Now, Brown is playing late into games and impressing with his performance, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Brown scored 17 points in a win over the Thunder on Tuesday and is averaging 11.0 points per game and hitting 46.2% of his threes since receiving an uptick in play time. “At this point, that’s the NBA. You can literally go from being sixth man to not in the rotation,” Brown said. “It’s just based off what the team needs at the time. To me, I’ve had my ups and downs in the career. Just being in different positions and learning how to deal with all that mentally has helped me a lot. Now I just try to be as happy as I can and bring energy to my teammates and stay ready.“
As the Nuggets sort through their bench rotation, it’s clear they miss forward Jeff Green, writes The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. “I wish Jeff was still wearing a Nuggets uniform,” head coach Michael Malone said. Green broke down his decision to join the Rockets this offseason, leaving the Nuggets he spent two seasons and one championship run with. “It’s very hard [to leave], especially when you do what we did last year,” Green said. “You create a bond, and that’s something that’s forever. And the relationships that were built last year off the journey that we had, it’s tough to kind of deter away from that. But at the end of the day, it’s a business.“

Jazz Notes: George, Offense, LaVine, Hendricks

November 18th, 2023 at 11:06pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz wound up losing Friday’s in-season tournament game to Phoenix, 131-128. That dropped Utah’s record to 4-8, including 2-1 in the tournament.

Despite the loss, Friday’s contest was a good showcase of how well Utah’s offense has been clicking since making a couple of changes to the starting lineup, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.

The first change came by choice, with first-round pick Keyonte George replacing Talen Horton-Tucker at point guard. The second choice came out of necessity — Walker Kessler is sidelined with an elbow injury, and head coach Will Hardy decided to add more spacing by starting second-year wing Ochai Agbaji.

George has averaged 11.0 points and 8.3 assists over his four starts, while only turning the ball over eight times. According to Larsen, the 20-year-old has an impressive two-man game with Jordan Clarkson, who has been on an absolute tear since the change was made, averaging 31.5 points on .552/.445/1.000 shooting over the past four games.

Having a strong floor general and five shooters on the court has created room for Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen to operate, Larsen notes, with John Collins sliding up to center after Kessler was injured.

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In the same story from Larsen, Hardy said he’s not sure who will start once Kessler returns. “We’re not exactly sure when Walker will be back, but it’s gonna be a big decision for us,” he said. “What we do with the lineups — you know, we always get caught up talking about the starters — but I think we’re just going to have to figure out how to blend it all together. Nothing’s really off the table at this point. … Offensively, you know, we have seen a pretty good flow right now. It’s been good for John. But Walker also hasn’t played a ton with Keyonte. So it’s hard to say right now.”
There haven’t been any rumors linking Zach LaVine to the Jazz, but Tony Jones of The Athletic considers the pros and cons of the team making a run at the two-time All-Star, writing that Utah hopes to return to the playoffs sooner rather than later, which is why the team was in the mix for Jrue Holiday before he was sent to Boston. Utah’s young core and strong offense could be good fits for LaVine’s game, but giving up assets to acquire a player on a long-term max contract who isn’t known for his defense may not appeal to the front office, according to Jones.
While George, who was selected 16th overall in June’s draft, has been seeing heavy minutes for the Jazz, that hasn’t been the case for fellow rookie Taylor Hendricks, who was the ninth selection. Sarah Todd of The Deseret News takes a look at the development plan for the team’s lottery pick, who has opened the season in the G League with Utah’s NBA G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars.

Northwest Notes: Grant, Kessler, Collins, George, Holiday, Jokic

November 12th, 2023 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With Damian Lillard traded and Anfernee Simons injured, Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant is averaging a career-high 22.8 points through eight games. Grant was the focal point of Detroit’s offense in 2020/21, when he averaged 22.3 PPG, so he’s familiar with being a No. 1 option. Yet it remains an unusual role for him.

“I’m pushing Jerami to shoot it more because we need it,” Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups told Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. “A lot of times he has opportunities and it’s not his nature to do so.”

Grant signed a five-year, $160MM contract with the Blazers this summer.

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Walker Kessler‘s elbow sprain will delay the answer to a key question for the Jazz. Can John Collins and Kessler be effective together? Sarah Todd of the Deseret News notes that the spacing on offense is better without Collins and Kessler on the court together, but the defense is even weaker. Utah has allowed more than 120 points in its last four games.
On a positive note for the Jazz, rookie Keyonte George has been poised and measured well beyond his years even before he was thrust into a starting role, Tony Jones of The Athletic writes. Jones notes that Jordan Clarkson has scored a combined 59 points in two games since George took over at the point and Lauri Markkanen had an efficient offensive game against the Grizzlies on Friday.
Journeyman Justin Holiday hasn’t played much for the Nuggets this season but he’s gotten an up close look at the brilliance of Nikola Jokic, who is posting MVP-style numbers again. “No matter who comes in here, who does what, Jokic doesn’t get too high or too low,” Holiday told Harrison Wind of TheDnvr.com. “I know he enjoys playing basketball, but if you saw him — I know a lot of people talk about his expressions — he just goes out there, he’s going to kill you, and then go onto the next game. He doesn’t care about the personal accolades, which I think is pretty cool.” Denver added Holiday, who has played in three games, on a one-year deal this summer.

Northwest Notes: Lillard, Conley, Wolves, K. George

November 10th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The final chapter of Damian Lillard‘s fruitful 11-year relationship with the Trail Blazers was a somewhat acrimonious one, with both sides taking criticism for how they handled Lillard’s trade request this offseason. When the star guard asked out of Portland, he demanded to be sent to a specific team (Miami), and the Blazers responded by taking months to make a deal and ultimately sending him somewhere else (Milwaukee).

Still, Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups is confident that time will heal any wounds that this summer’s saga created, as he tells Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.

“Sooner or later, talks will be had,” Billups said. “Emotion will be down and that will heal itself. I really believe that. At the end of the day, what Dame did for the organization has never been done before. He’s gonna go down as the greatest. And also what this organization did for Dame was incredible. They had an incredible two-way relationship for the entire time.”

While there may be some fences in need of mending between Lillard and Portland’s front office – including general manager Joe Cronin – Billups says he stayed out of the team’s trade talks and has remained close with Lillard, who was a friend even before Billups was hired by the Blazers.

“We’ve had several [conversations], even when [the trade discussions] first started,” Billups told Goodwill. “I already knew, even however this goes, it’s not gonna change our relationship, our friendship. We talk about very personal things, we talk about hoop at times. And we’ve talked several times since it’s been over. I’m happy for him.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Even if Rudy Gobert‘s strong early-season play continues, it’s hard to imagine the trade that sent him from Utah to Minnesota ever looking like a big win for the Timberwolves, given what they gave up to get him. But Wolves fans should feel good about the other trade the team made with Utah last season, according to Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune, who says point guard Mike Conley has been an ideal fit in Minnesota. “If you heard the reports about Mike Conley before he came here, you’d have thought he was broken down and had to be wrapped in bubble plastic everyday,” head coach Chris Finch said. “That has certainly not been the case. I think he’s exceeded our expectations by a long mile — on and off the floor.”
Multiple scouts who spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype are confident that the Timberwolves‘ hot start this season is sustainable. “Anthony Edwards is a top-10 player in the NBA right now,” one scout said. “He’s the real deal and plays both sides of the ball. Minnesota has two top-10 NBA defenders: Rudy Gobert, with his rim protection, and Jaden McDaniels, one of the best defenders on the perimeter. People forget they played Denver tough the last few games of their series. I think they can be a real threat in the West.”
Keyonte George‘s first career start – which came Wednesday on the day he turned 20 – was “the best birthday present you could ever ask for,” he said this week. It also felt like the start of a new era for Utah’s backcourt, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who points out that a notable former Jazz point guard, Deron Williams, also made his first start in his ninth career game 18 years ago. Expecting George to emulate Williams’ ascent to stardom is probably unfair, but his teammates were impressed by how the rookie responded to the promotion. “(It) was a really good showing in terms of Keyonte at the point, running the show, playing his role,” Jordan Clarkson said. “He’ll have big games scoring points, big games getting assists, it was our first time having him out there, and it was really big time for him.”

Western Notes: Booker, Vassell, Jazz Starters, Jackson

November 8th, 2023 at 7:16pm CST by Rory Maher

The Suns are optimistic that Devin Booker might return for the team’s upcoming homestand, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter video link via The Rally).

As Charania notes, Phoenix has home games on Friday, Sunday and next Wednesday. According to Charania, Friday is a possibility.

Booker has battled three different injuries this fall, with the latest being a right calf strain. He has appeared in just two of the Suns’ eight games thus far in 2023/24.

Fellow guard Bradley Beal made his Suns regular season debut on Wednesday after battling a back injury.

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After previously being listed as doubtful, Spurs guard Devin Vassell returned to action on Wednesday in New York, as first reported by Charania (via Twitter) and later confirmed by the team (Twitter link via Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News). However, Vassell did not return to the starting lineup: second-year guard Malaki Branham will continue in that role for now. Vassell missed the past two games with a left adductor strain.
Jazz center Walker Kessler is out at least two weeks with an elbow injury. Instead of replacing him with another big man, head coach Will Hardy decided to make a couple changes to the team’s starting lineup on Wednesday vs. Indiana. Rookie Keyonte George replaced Talen Horton-Tucker at point guard, while second-year wing Ochai Agbaji started at small forward, as Sarah Todd of The Deseret News relays. “Keyonte has played really well,” Hardy said. “I think he’s shown a very quick learning curve on both ends of the floor.” Jordan Clarkson remained the starting shooting guard, with Lauri Markkanen (power forward) and John Collins (center) each sliding up a spot in the frontcourt.
G.G. Jackson, who is the youngest player in the NBA, likely won’t see many minutes for the Grizzlies. In fact, he’s only played one minute over their first seven games. However, the second-round pick is expected to have an expanded role with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League club, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I kind of got a little bit more lenience, so I got to become comfortable,” said Jackson, who is on a two-way contract.

Northwest Notes: Hendricks, Sensabaugh, George, Williams, Nuggets

November 2nd, 2023 at 11:01pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Neither Taylor Hendricks nor Brice Sensabaugh, the Nos. 9 and 28 overall picks in the 2023 draft, are in the Jazz rotation to begin the season. Instead, the duo will begin the year by practicing with Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, in training camp, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Larsen points out that fellow rookie Keyonte George, drafted after Hendricks with the No. 16 overall pick, has been a regular contributor. While Larsen notes that several former rookies who didn’t play much early in their careers went on to find success, it’s clear the Jazz don’t believe Hendricks is ready to contribute at the NBA level right now. Participating in G League training camp will give both rookies ample practice time.

“You want young players to get reps, and live reps against good players. Once our season gets going, the amount of practice time shrinks considerably,” head coach Will Hardy said. “They practiced today for two and a half hours. We did not have a two-and-a-half-hour live shootaround this morning.”

For what it’s worth, both Hendricks and Sensabaugh are appreciating the opportunity for more practice time, according to Larsen.

“We’re seeing younger and younger players come into the NBA,” Hardy said. “Eight years ago, it wasn’t like you were drafting three 19-year-olds in the same draft. We’re just trying to get those guys as many reps as we can until they’re in a position to play enough minutes with our group every night that it would be overkill to send them there. Both those guys understand that this is the opposite of punishment.”

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The Jazz are also taking a patient approach with fellow rookie George, according to The Athletic’s Tony Jones, and he partially holds the keys to Utah’s future. The guard had a dominant Summer League and training camp, but Utah is being cautious and won’t put too much on his plate too soon. Jones writes that George has the highest natural instincts for the point guard position of anyone on the roster and that it’s difficult to envision a scenario where he isn’t the starting point guard by next season.
The Thunder assigned Jaylin Williams to their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, on Wednesday, according to Rylan Stiles (Twitter link). This was part of Williams’ ramp-up to play, as he’s been dealing with a hamstring injury. Oklahoma City recalled Williams later on Wednesday (Twitter link).
The transition from last season to this one has been seamless for the Nuggets‘ bench so far despite losing players like Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, according to The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. Denver’s bench, consisting primarily of Reggie Jackson, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson and Zeke Nnaji, outscored opposing bench players 132-105 through its first four games, shooting 50.5% from the field and holding opponents to 38.3% shooting from the floor. That group, along with Jamal Murray, boasts a defensive rating of 83.6. “Anyone can go off any night,” Nnaji said.

Northwest Notes: M. Porter, Gobert, McDaniels, George

October 30th, 2023 at 5:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Michael Porter Jr. had 20 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes against Oklahoma City on Sunday. The Nuggets forward said he’s still recovering from the ankle injury that sidelined him during the preseason.

“My ankle is just starting to feel better. I’m starting to feel more balance in my shot,” Porter told The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. “And then I didn’t play all preseason. I didn’t really get to finish training camp, so it’s just being out there and getting the feel for it again.”

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Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, no stranger to Defensive Player of the Year trophies, says he feels stronger than ever and believes that with the athletes around him, Minnesota can have the best defense in the league, per Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “We have size. We have guys that can move their feet. We have guys that are dogs, competitors,” Gobert said. “Those three things, you put them together, why wouldn’t you want us to be the best defensive team in the league with all those weapons?”
Jaden McDaniels will make his debut against Atlanta tonight, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. The Timberwolves forward has been dealing with a left calf injury. He signed a five-year rookie scale extension a week ago.
Jazz rookie Keyonte George is getting acclimated to the NBA game, including back-to-backs. He admitted he was “gassed” after playing on consecutive nights, he told Sarah Todd of the Deseret News. “I’m honest with myself and yeah, I was kind of gassed,” George said. “So now that tells me I’ve gotta get more into shape…(Coach Will Hardy) wants us to play extremely hard but the goal is to not be tired. If you’re not tired, you don’t come out of the game and you can impact winning.” The 16th pick of the draft is averaging 19.3 minutes per game.

Northwest Notes: Holiday, Reid, Ayton, Scoot, Jazz

October 29th, 2023 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets swingman Justin Holiday will celebrate his 35th birthday before the end of the 2023/24 season and has seen his playing time dip in recent years. While the 11th-year veteran believes he still has plenty left in the tank, he admitted to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post that he has been forced to think about how much longer he’ll play before retirement.

“Have I thought about hanging it up? Heck yeah,” Holiday said. “I mean, I have kids. I have a family. So that thought always comes, especially when you get moved around a lot.

“So yeah, I’ve thought about it. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t. I’ve been kind of forced to. My wife’s had conversations like, ‘When are you gonna be done?’ So it’s not like I’m just sitting here (thinking about it) by myself. I had to actually think about it. And I wasn’t able to give her an answer. I still think I have a lot of playing in me.”

After averaging 30.3 minutes per night for Indiana in 2020/21, Holiday has changed teams five times since then and logged just 15.3 MPG in ’22/23. He’s not in Denver’s rotation to open this season, though head coach Michael Malone has said he values having a veteran like Holiday in reserve to call upon when necessary, as we relayed on Saturday.

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Timberwolves big man Naz Reid, who scored 25 points in 28 minutes in Saturday’s win over Miami, said that he never seriously considered the idea of leaving Minnesota as he neared free agency this summer, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Reid ultimately agreed to a three-year, $42MM extension just days before free agency began. “I wasn’t going anywhere. I love it here, man. It’s special,” Reid said. “It’s definitely a place I want to be and develop. I’ve developed from year one to now. Each and every year, I’ve gotten better, so there was definitely no reason for me to leave, you know?”
Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups likes what he has seen so far from Deandre Ayton, but admits he’s still getting the hang of how best to use his new starting center, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. “I told him I’m still learning him,” Billups said. “Still learning his game. Where he can be most effective.”
No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson is off to a rocky start, making 34.8% of his shots and recording more turnovers (nine) than assists (six) through two games. But the Trail Blazers have no concerns and are prepared to be patient with their rookie guard, as Fentress outlines in another Oregonian story. “You can’t rush experience,” Blazers guard Malcolm Brogdon said
Two of the Jazz‘s major weaknesses – subpar guard play and defense – have been on display in the early going this season, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. One bright spot, Larsen writes, has been the play of rookie guard Keyonte George, who increasingly looks like he can play a major role on this team.

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