J
James Hansen
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The Utah Jazz had three solid rookies, who was the best of the three?
The Utah Jazz came into the 2024 NBA season with three promising rookies and each showed great flashes. What’s interesting about each rookie was the elements of their game that differed from the others. Taylor Hendricks was touted as a great defensive prospect who could shoot. That panned out post trade deadline when he finally got steady minutes on the floor. Keyonte George came into the season with the expectation that he could be a scorer for the Jazz, and he showed just that. Brice Sensabaugh looked like a shooter with size that could score in isolation, and he also proved just that.
All that said let’s see who wins Rookie of the Year for the Jazz and why.
Rookie of the Year: Keyonte George
Runner up: Taylor Hendricks
This is probably not much of a surprise. Although Taylor Hendricks made things a little bit interesting to end the season when he ended the year shooting 54.3% from three in his last 9 games.
Keyonte George was absolutely dazzling in the summer league which ended abruptly with him turning his ankle. The season started with him coming off the bench but after nine games he earned that starting point-guard role. Interestingly, that’s how long it took for Deron Williams to get the start as well in his rookie season.
There were some ups and downs but the ups were incredible. The best game was likely against the Warriors when he dropped 9 threes.
After the trade deadline, George was given the reins to the offense, and he struggled with his percentages. Being the focal point of opposing defenses from that point on was surely the reason, but George still showed flashes. The next step for George is to learn how to overcome that defensive pressure in a way that allows him to both score more efficiently, while also setting the table for his teammates. He also needs to add strength and conditioning, something every rookie has to do. If he can do these things, next season has a chance to be special.
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