Jazz are encouraging Keyonte George to take 'as many shots as he can'

MIAMI — As the clock ticked under two minutes, Jimmy Butler drove to his left, stepped back and hit a 15-foot fadeaway jumper. It's a shot the Miami Heat forward has hit countless times during his career.

End-of-clock situation, close game, it's expected for him to get that type of look.

That shot helped put the Jazz away on Saturday in Miami's 126-120 win over the Jazz at Kaseya Center. It also gave an up-close example of what Will Hardy wants to see from his point guard Keyonte George.

The rookie guard had a special night in Miami, scoring 31 points on 12-of-23 shooting to go along with four rebounds and four assists. He consistently got to the basket, made good reads for assists, and made six 3-pointers. It was the third time this season he has scored over 30 points — a feat only two other Jazz rookies (Darrell Griffith and Donovan Mitchell) have accomplished.

George helped the Jazz to an 11-point lead in the third quarter, but the Heat — who were fresh off a 5-1 road trip — proved to be too much at the end.

The Jazz, though, are in a growth phase; wins mean less than development. And, seen through that lens, there was a lot of stuff to like about Saturday's game — especially from George.

"Right now, I'm encouraging Keyonte to take as many shots as he can," Jazz coach Will Hardy said before the game.

He sure listened on Saturday. George got off plenty in Miami, including 14 3-pointers. That doesn't mean they were forced, though. George made good reads out of pick-and-rolls, and really found his spots on the court. Ultimately, he forced the Heat to adjust to what he was doing.

"I thought Keyonte was incredibly aggressive the entire night," Hardy said. "Another night where I'm really pleased with how many threes he found off the dribble. It's a big part of his growth, it's a sign of respect when they change the matchup and put Jimmy Butler on you."

That aggression is what his coaches want and his teammates, too. Especially now that he's learning more and more how to recognize coverages and manipulate defenders. That's how he was able to break the paint for shots at the rim. The highlight? A crossover to a flying scoop layup with 8:45 left tied the game at 100-100.

"He's gonna be a great player," said Lauri Markkanen, who had 25 points and six assists Saturday, but was hobbled at the end after appearing to bang his knee in a collision. "We need him to be aggressive. I think he's learning when to facilitate and get others involved and when to be aggressive himself."

George said he's reading the game better and his pace is getting more intentional. He's recognizing when he needs to speed things up and when he should slow down. His scoring was electric on Saturday, but one of his best plays was drawing a double team on the perimeter and then swinging a pass cross-court to Markkanen for an open corner 3-pointer.

Those types of plays show things are coming together — and quickly.

"I've been watching games around the league and just trying to take a look little little things, the little intangibles from all the great players around our league," George said.

So what lesson can he take from Butler's midrange proficiency?

"As far as his pull-up jump shooting, it's actually a conversation that he and I have started to have a lot lately, because when you get to the end of a game, or you get to the playoffs, the threes and layups thing doesn't work anymore," Hardy said. "The shots that you end up finding are tough pull-up twos."

George had one of those with 2:20 left; he missed. His final two shots — a pair of quick layups in the final minute — also highlighted something George needs to improve at the end of the games. Both came with the Jazz down 6 points when 3-pointers were needed to realistically keep the team's hopes alive.

While the Jazz are very likely not headed to the postseason this year, that's the ultimate goal … so might as well start preparing early.

"I'm trying to aim towards Keyonte being effective in a playoff series, and his pull-ups are going to be something that we're going to need," Hardy said. "So he knows that I don't obviously want him to shoot 20 pull-up twos, but I'm also encouraging him to take what's in front of him because we're in a real growth phase with him right now."

A phase that continued on Saturday.

Related topics