Kris Dunn finally saw some time as the Utah Jazz’s starting point guard, sharing the responsibility with rookie Keyonte George, and the two men both showed off their best and worst aspects. For George, he went 4-13 from the field and had as many turnovers (5) as assists (5). While he did have 15 points, he was a net native for the team on Saturday.
Dunn, on the other hand, put up eight points on 4-7 shooting, while being one of the best defensive players on the court all night. He also had the same 1:1 ratio of assists to turnover (two each), but Dunn made up for it by being super efficient hitting his shots and playing stellar, shutdown defense. Something the Jazz needs more of. In fact, they need it far more than whatever George is offering the group.
The Jazz are not a team that can afford to sit their best defensive players, even if it means that a rookie sits, and if the team is deadset on playing Jordan Clarkson as a starter, then the Jazz have to sit George for Dunn. Dunn is better right now in every aspet, and George has shown to be a poor shot selector and just as wild passing the ball as Clarkson is.
If George is going to struggle like this, then maybe the Jazz need to reconsider their starting lineup, that is if winning is still the goal. The Jazz can’t win with (right now) George, because not only is he a problem on offense most nights, he’s always a problem on defense. And we’re not talking about it in a good way. He struggles to get in front of opposing players and is often seen chasing after the guy he is on. The Jazz need better defense at the point guard position and that’s where Dunn comes into play.
Dunn can be the guy the Jazz need right now. And whlie George has a high ceiling, if the goal is winning basketball, George isn’t the guy. Sitting George and reducing his minutes may help the Jazz’s defense, and after Clarkson eventually gets traded, we can reconfigure the starting lineup to once again include George.
Or at least, consider including George.
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