Timberwolves Summer League: 3 checklist items to track versus Utah Jazz
By Bret Stuter
Key III: How much did Timberwolves lose to Jazz in Keyonte George?
While the NBA Summer League competition is not a rock-solid indicator, it is the best first blush of determining just how effective a rookie may be in the upcoming 2023-24 NBA season.
In the Salt Lake City Summer League, Keyonte George averaged 24 MPG, 16 PPG, 4 APG, and 4.7 RPG. He shot 29.4 percent from the perimeter, and just 37.8 percent from the floor. While not surprising, it’s a bit underwhelming considering he was selected just outside of a lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
George appears to be a good rotational player but needs work
In his debut for the Utah Jazz in the NBA 2k24 Summer League, rookie guard Keyonte George unloaded by putting up 33 points, leading all scorers in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Of course, he accounted for nearly a third of all shots taken by the entire Jazz team, so was that a far challenge?
Three of nine Jazz players: Keyonte George, Micah Potter, and Ochai Ogbaji, accounted for more than 70 percent of the shots taken by the Jazz. That’s hardly going to cut it in the NBA. For comparison purposes, the Timberwolves also had most of their shots taken by a limited number of players, but the Timberwolves involved four players in the offense.
Keep in mind that the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas followed the Salt Lake City Summer League, a three-game schedule that afforded the Utah Jazz team three games prior to the current competition in Las Vegas to tune up and become more comfortable competing together.