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Sven Karabegovic
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Here is everything you need to know about Utah’s point guard position, entering the off-season
The Jazz have fallen into point guard instability once again. During the 2023-24 season, the Jazz cycled through numerous point guard rotations, with rookie Keyonte George eventually taking control of the starting position full-time. Although George showed obvious talent throughout the season, shooting inefficiency and poor defensive presence remain valid concerns. Should Utah look to bolster the position through the draft? We’ll dive more into that later. Let’s take a look into the position.
Keyonte George
As we mentioned, George finished the season as Utah’s full-time starter at the point guard. In his rookie campaign, George averaged 13.0 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.8 rebounds on 39.1/33.4/84.8% shooting splits. The advanced metrics don’t paint George’s scoring in a much better light. According to Bball Index, he averaged a true shooting percentage of 53.3%, scored in the 48th percentile in isolation, and generated only .79 points per possession as a pick and roll ball handler (34th percentile).
Defensively, the numbers are even more concerning. George ranked in the 11th percentile of all isolation defenders, the 34th percentile of all pick and roll defenders, and held a D-LEBRON of -1.87. Sure, George was just a rookie. He has plenty of time to develop into a great player. He showed his scoring capability a number of times throughout the season. But, that doesn’t mean we should turn away from the concerning numbers. This off-season will be an important signifier of his development.
George is on the books for $4,084,200 next season.
Kris Dunn
Kris Dunn was likely Utah’s best point guard this season. At 30 years old, Dunn had a resurgence in his career, serving as Utah’s backup point guard for most of the season. Although his shooting percentage from three remains questionable (36.9% on 1.7 attempts per game), Dunn remains a ruthless point-of-attack defender. Whether on the Jazz or a contending roster, Dunn can provide reliable defense against large guards and wings.
The Jazz will have to make a decision on the Dunn this off-season. After earning the veteran minimum of $2,586,665 this season, Dunn will enter unrestricted free agency. Given that he won't cost much, expect contenders to vie for his services off the bench.
Talen Horton-Tucker
Utah’s experiment with Talen Horton-Tucker at the point crashed and burned early in the season. THT started the first eight games, where he struggled with turnovers, running the offense, and scoring efficiently. In theory, starting THT made sense: he’s shown the ability to pass the ball well, and given his stocky frame and long wingspan, he would hold a size advantage against nearly every point in the league. Unfortunately for both him and the Jazz, THT could never get it going, and he finished the final 50 games largely riding the pine.
Horton-Tucker’s $11,020,000 salary will now clear itself off of Utah’s books. Entering unrestricted free-agency, both parities will likely look at other options. THT’s parting clears up nearly 10% of the salary cap, giving Utah greater flexibility this off-season.
Kira Lewis Jr.
Acquired from the Toronto Raptors when the Jazz traded Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji, Lewis Jr. only appeared in 12 games for the Jazz this season. The Jazz will hold Lewis Jr.’s restricted bird rights, should they extend the $7,913,687 qualifying offer his way during free-agency. Frankly, that seems unlikely.
Jason Preston
Preston impressed as a part of the SLC Stars, averaging 16.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 9.8 assists. He never cracked the Jazz’s rotation, but remains on a two-way contract next season. He’ll have opportunities to prove himself this summer.
Draft Prospects
Utah holds the eighth best lottery odd’s this upcoming draft. They hold a 26.2% chance of rising into the top-four, a 34.5% chance to remain at eight, 32.1% chance to fall to ninth, and a 0.4% chance to convey their pick to Oklahoma City.
Potential options in the top-10 of the draft include Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham, Serbia’s Nikola Topic, UConn’s Stephon Castle, and USC’s Isaiah Collier. Of the group, Topic and Castle hold the best size at 6-6. Topic stands as the draft’s most impressive playmaker, while Castle remains the better athlete. Both could potentially slide into Utah’s point guard position, pushing George over to the two.
As it stands, Utah’s point guard play remains a serious question for the front office. Although George showed some good potential this season, don’t be surprised if we see some significant change-ups at this position next year.
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