The Utah Jazz just locked down their point guard of the future. Keyonte George just agreed to a massive five-year, $157 million contract that will keep the young guard in Utah until 2032. At first glance, it seems like a boatload of money, but a closer look shows it’s almost the best-case scenario compared with other recent NBA extensions.
The Utah Jazz drafted George with the 16th pick in the 2023 NBA draft. That pick originally belonged to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but they traded it away in a major package for Rudy Gobert (a trade Minnesota still gets criticized for). 2023 was an important offseason for Utah. They had just played its first season after trading away Donovan Mitchell and Gobert, and were ready to usher in a new era. Utah also fired their second longest-tenured coach in franchise history, Quin Snyder, replacing him with first time head coach Will Hardy. After five seasons of premature, heartbreaking playoff exits, (six including 2016-17 with Gordon Hayward) they saw the writing on the wall and moved on.
Their first season without their stars and head coach saw a decrease of only 12 wins to 37-45. Lauri Markkanen, acquired in the Mitchell trade with Cleveland, became an All-Star in his first season with Utah. He helped them avoid a complete tank and won the most improved player award in the process. It was clear they were mid-rebuild, but they were much closer to a competent roster than NBA fans initially believed. With three first-round picks in the 2023 draft, Utah knew they needed to build a competent roster around their all star.
Aside from George at pick 16, Utah drafted Taylor Hendricks at nine and Brice Sensabaugh at 28. Hendricks didn’t exactly pan out, getting sent away to the Grizzlies after two underwhelming seasons. But Sensabaugh has become a huge part of their future and still impacts the team today.
George played his one year of college at Baylor, averaging 15.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. He was clearly an offensive engine, winning Big 12 Rookie of the Year and earning All-Big 12 Second Team honors in 2022-23. His stats stayed solid in his rookie season, averaging 13 points and 4.4 assists. Unfortunately, the Jazz have just gone further and further into rebuild mode throughout George’s tenure. 31 wins in his rookie year, 17 the next year, and 22 wins last season.
Pros
George entered the league with clear offensive talent and enormous upside. No shot is too difficult for him, and his numbers this past season show it: 23.6 points on 60.9% true shooting and 37.1% from three. He paired that with 6.1 assists a game, a number that has risen each season he’s been in the league. George is not only an amazing shot creator, but he is deadly off-ball too, forcing defenses to constantly switch and keep an eye on him.
George also improved tremendously from mid-range, a dying skill in today’s NBA. He shot 41.7% from 10-16 feet and 42.4% from 16 feet to the three-point line. He did all this on a 27.9 usage rate, showing that Utah relies heavily on his presence to run the offense. His average shot distance dropped from 17-18 feet in his first two seasons to 15.6 feet, suggesting he relies less on the three than most players today.
Cons
George’s biggest flaw is his defense, hands down. The numbers may be skewed because Utah is a bad defensive team (ranked 29th and 30th each year George has been in the NBA). Either way, George hasn’t necessarily been a positive defensive player. He had a defensive rating of 124 last season, which is tied for the third-worst in the NBA. He is an easy target for opponents on defense, but then again, most of that roster is.
He had some health trouble last season, missing 28 games with a hamstring injury, along with some other leg injuries throughout his first three seasons. This could be taken with a grain of salt, though, because Utah rested players to beat the band last year to get better odds on a top pick. The Jazz are one of the many teams likely responsible for the lottery rules changing this offseason.
George also has plenty of room to grow defensively. He’s only 22 years old and has a great frame at 6’4″ with a 6’6″ wingspan. His defensive numbers have improved steadily, and he will keep growing physically as he ages. His work ethic is second to none, and his teammates and head coach alike praise it.
The Utah Jazz have a promising season ahead, despite finishing in the bottom five for two straight seasons. To address the elephant in the room: they struck gold and got Darryn Peterson in the NBA draft. He will be a perfect guard to start alongside George. He is elite offensively, both on and off the ball, and at 6’5″, he can play both guard positions with ease. He shoots at a very high volume, but remains very efficient from every part of the floor. He also has above average defense and is very disciplined, averaging only 1.5 fouls a game last year at Kansas.
While on the topic of Utah’s defense, they traded their best defensive piece, Walker Kessler, to the Lakers. He was one of their only strong defensive players, but he was often injured and due for a payday. They already have his replacement in Jaren Jackson Junior, who they traded for at the trade deadline this past season. This former Defensive Player of the Year will fit in perfectly as their defensive anchor. He is also a good shooter, perfect for George or Isaiah Collier to kick out to for three.
They still have Jusuf Nurkić to hold down the center position. Despite his injury-riddled past season, he’s shown he can be a quality defender and rebounder when healthy. The rest of the roster is rounded out by loads of young, raw talent, including Ace Bailey (the fifth pick in 2025) and the aforementioned Sensabaugh. Their rotation looks promising for next season, especially since the roster’s average age is 24.8 years at the start of the season (Nurkić being the only player above 30).
| Keyonte George | Isaiah Collier | Trey Alexander |
| Darryn Peterson | Ace Bailey | Josh Green/Svi Mykhailiuk |
| Lauri Markkanen | Brice Sensabaugh | Josh Okogie |
| Jaren Jackson Jr. (JJJ) | Kyle Filipowski | Blake Hinson |
| Jusuf Nurkić | Jaxson Hayes | Mohamed Bomba |
This lineup could be an offensive powerhouse, with a defense that finally won’t be a total liability. JJJ and Markkanen take up most of the team’s salary until George’s contract kicks in after this season, giving the team plenty of financial flexibility for any potential trades this season. Their core players are locked into contracts until at least 2029, giving Utah time to breathe as their young prospects improve.
George has already proven himself as part of Utah’s future core. He didn’t take the leap Jazz fans hoped for in his second season, with only a small statistical jump and no improvement in efficiency. But after the 2025-26 season, any reservations regarding his future went out the window. He has clear All-Star potential and isn’t even 23 yet.
Locking him down now was a very smart move for Utah. Last season was a breakout year for him, and he’s bound to improve this upcoming season. By extending him now, the Jazz are showing they truly believe in this young stud. If they were to wait until after the 2026-27 season, his price tag would be much higher based on his performance. George’s five-year, $157 million deal is less than what Immanuel Quickley got from Toronto. No offense to Quickley, but George has already shown more upside in his short career.
Some believe this could age poorly, just like the $125 million Christian Braun extension from the Denver Nuggets. George could get injured again, or just not pan out as we expect. Signing him now prevents the Jazz from shooting themselves in the foot a year from now. Nobody wants to be in the Jalen Duren situation Detroit is currently stuck in. Besides, if he (surprisingly) flounders this season, they have other young guards to rely on now and in the future: Peterson, Collier, and Bailey.
The Utah Jazz chose a perfect time to re-sign George. It’s clear not only to Utah’s front office but to all NBA fans that he’s for real. He has time to fix his flaws and improve his defense, and his play style seems like a great fit with their clear number one prospect, Darryn Peterson (and the rest of the offensive-minded roster). Coach Hardy fully supports him, which is super important for a player’s development.
“He wants to be a great player, and it shows through the work he’s put in and the humility that he showed at the end of last season and going through this summer.” – Coach Hardy during the 2025-26 season.
Utah is clearly ready to take the next step toward the postseason, and the play-in will only raise those odds. They now have a young, competitive roster and plenty of picks over the next few seasons. With the new lottery odds rewarding the play-in teams, an improved record is even more likely – and this young team will have a lot to prove this season.
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