Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LAS VEGAS — Utah Jazz rookie guard Keyonte George exited Wednesday's summer league game early after he severely turned his right ankle on a drive to the hoop late in the first half of Utah's 96-91 win over the Denver Nuggets.
George immediately went down in pain and had to be helped to the bench.
He was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game with a sprained ankle. It's possible — if not likely — he'll sit out the final two games of Utah's summer league run in Las Vegas. George missed time during his freshman season at Baylor with an injury to the same ankle.
The rookie finished Wednesday with 6 points on 2-of-5 shooting; he added three rebounds and two assists.
The injury was the only thing that has been able to stop him at the Vegas Summer League. After a solid, if not spectacular, showing during the three games in Salt Lake City Summer League, George has been a revelation since getting to Las Vegas.
In Utah's first two games in Sin City, George averaged 29.5 points and 8.5 assists leading the Jazz to two wins. He shot 54% and 44% from 3-point range to open up the Vegas Summer League.
He logged 33 points and 10 assists in Utah's first game in Vegas, and followed that up with a 26-point, seven-assist night on Monday.
And he's got plenty of people's attentions; look no further than the sportsbooks around Vegas. Over the last few days, the 16th pick went from practically off the board to having the sixth-best odds in some places to win rookie of the year.
Before he went out on Wednesday, George, once again, flashed his intriguing skillset. He dropped Denver's Armaan Franklin with a move off the dribble and then buried a deep 3-pointer.
𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙣𝙚 🔑 https://t.co/xXPYw5aZhTpic.twitter.com/48ZhF6LTsN
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) July 13, 2023
But George may now join Utah's other first-round picks on the injury report. Both Taylor Hendricks, the ninth pick in the draft, and Brice Sensabaugh, the 28th selection, have yet to suit up for the Jazz as they rehab injuries.
Hendricks suffered a hamstring strain during the pre-draft process, and Sensabaugh is recovering from left-knee surgery. The team said Wednesday that both players are making progress with their rehab and have participated in on-court workouts with the team in Las Vegas.
As for the rest of the summer Jazz, they are now 3-0 in Vegas after beating Denver; a win on Friday could push them into the four-team tournament to crown a summer league champion.
The top four playoff seeds will be determined by winning percentage and then a slew of tiebreakers.
Most recent Utah Jazz stories
Related topics
Ryan Miller
