11/26 Utah Jazz vs San Antonio Spurs Recap
Keyonte George’s Stellar 3-Point Performance and an Overused Utah Jazz Lineup
The Utah Jazz fell 128-115 to the San Antonio Spurs in their second-to-last game of the NBA Cup, dropping their tournament record to 0-3 and their overall record to 4-13. The game was eventful for several reasons. Keyonte George delivered an electric first quarter, scoring 15 points and hitting a career-high four 3-pointers in a single quarter. Brice Sensabaugh followed with an impressive second quarter, putting up 16 points. Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama dominated on both ends of the court, scoring 34 points and causing chaos for the Jazz.
Despite a few bright spots, it’s hard to view this as a "good loss," especially with Lauri Markkanen exiting late due to injury and the Jazz committing 21 turnovers. In this edition of Swish Lake City, we’ll take a closer look at Keyonte George’s standout 3-point performance and examine a problematic lineup that stayed on the floor for too long, ultimately contributing to Utah’s fourth-quarter collapse.
Keyonte George’s Impressive Three-Point Shooting Performance
Keyonte George delivered one of his most efficient scoring performances of the season against the San Antonio Spurs. He poured in 26 points, marking his second-highest-scoring game of the season, and tied his season-high with six made 3-pointers. George was especially hot in the first quarter, knocking down four triples while also contributing six assists, two steals, and three rebounds. Let’s dive into some of George’s 3-point attempts to break down what worked so well for him—not just the fact that his shots were falling, but the process behind those makes.
Examining Keyonte George’s shot chart from the game reveals a clear pattern of success: he made five of his six 3-pointers from the left side of the court while going just 1-for-6 from the middle and right side. This highlights George’s ability to find his preferred spots and capitalize on them, demonstrating strong shot selection and an understanding of where he is most effective.
George’s first 3-pointer came from an excellent Utah offensive sequence. Collin Sexton initiated the play, and Lauri Markkanen took the dribble handoff. Meanwhile, on the weak side, Walker Kessler set a well-timed screen for George, allowing him to flare out to the 3-point line. The screen was pivotal, as it caused Chris Paul to lose track of George, who cleverly faked toward the paint before darting out for the open shot. This play not only highlights the Jazz’s strong offensive process but also underscores George’s potential as an off-ball scoring threat.
While George had a strong shooting performance overall, it’s important to note a key distinction: most of his makes came off assists, while his misses tended to be pull-up jumpers. Take this possession, for example. With 10 seconds left on the shot clock, John Collins passes to George and sets a screen, attempting to give him options. Collins successfully screens Chris Paul—now a less effective defender—but Harrison Barnes is still able to contest the shot. Although George gets a decent look, the defense disrupts his rhythm. Situations like this, where George is tasked with bailing out the offense late in the shot clock, will be an area to monitor moving forward. Learning to capitalize on these opportunities could be what elevates him from a promising player to a truly great one.
Eventually, Keyonte George is likely to thrive alongside a high-level playmaker. Whether that player is added in the next draft or comes in the form of increased minutes with Isaiah Collier, George stands to benefit significantly from someone who can consistently draw two defenders into the paint and kick the ball out. While Walker Kessler isn’t that type of player, this play demonstrates the potential impact of such dynamics.
Here, Kessler establishes a mismatch in the post with Chris Paul defending him and positions himself well. Julian Champagnie, who had an excellent game for the Spurs, recognizes the mismatch and collapses to help Paul. Although Kessler fumbles the ball, his first instinct is clear—his eyes are immediately scanning for the open man. He finds Keyonte George in the corner, who capitalizes on the opportunity with a smooth 3-pointer. Plays like this highlight how effective George can be as a shooter when paired with a teammate who draws defensive attention.
One area the Utah Jazz should prioritize is generating more corner 3-pointers for Keyonte George. Examining his shot chart, which compares George’s true shooting percentage to the rest of the NBA, it’s clear that the corner 3 is his most efficient scoring zone. Before this game, George had attempted 21 corner 3s on the season, averaging just over one per game. From the right corner, he’s shooting an impressive 44.4%, and from the left corner, he’s even better at 50.0%.
Creating corner 3-pointers is not something a player can easily do on their own, making it essential for the Jazz to develop strategies that place George in these high-efficiency zones. Surrounding him with teammates who can effectively collapse defenses and create opportunities in the corners could significantly enhance his offensive production and overall impact on the floor.
One area where Keyonte George has shown relative success in creating good looks is through handoff actions. This season, he’s averaging 0.95 points per possession in handoff situations—a solid mark that highlights his potential in these scenarios. With quality screeners like Walker Kessler and John Collins on the roster, this is a shot type the Jazz can continue to emphasize. In this play, we see George execute it effectively with Drew Eubanks, who is also adept in the dribble handoff game.
George starts by taking the ball at the top of the key, with Eubanks positioned in the dunker’s spot. George quickly passes to Eubanks and sets himself in motion. What’s worth noting here is George’s movement and deception—his eyes are focused to the right, giving the impression that he’s preparing to cut, flare, or screen in that direction. This subtle misdirection causes the defender to react, allowing George to pivot his trajectory and move left. Eubanks screens and hands it off, enabling George to step into a rhythm three-pointer.
While George isn’t and won’t be Steph Curry, these off-ball flashes and moments of eye manipulation are reminiscent of how Curry creates opportunities for himself and his teammates. Plays like this demonstrate George’s evolving offensive versatility and the potential for the Jazz to expand on these actions moving forward.
One thing I’ve come to appreciate about Keyonte George is how strategic his shot selection feels. While there are certainly moments of heat-checks or deep pull-up threes sprinkled into his game, the majority of his 3-point attempts come from sound offensive processes. That being said, George is also capable of hitting some absolutely ridiculous shots.
Take this possession as an example: with just 3.8 seconds left on the shot clock, the Jazz are in a classic BLOB (baseline out-of-bounds) set, and George is tasked with inbounding the ball. As is common in these scenarios, Eubanks is stationed in the corner, ready to initiate a dribble handoff for George. However, with limited time, the usual play design is out the window, and George has to make something happen. He inbounds to Eubanks, who quickly passes and sets a screen. What follows is nothing short of spectacular—George takes a step-back three over both Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama, two long and imposing defenders closing out hard.
What stands out here is George’s balance and poise. Despite less-than-perfect footwork, he manages to keep his chest square to the basket and his form consistent. This is the type of star-level shot that not only displays incredible skill but also shows his unwavering confidence in crunch-time situations. Moments like this make it clear why George is such an exciting player to watch and why his potential as a shot-maker is so tantalizing.
It’s no coincidence that in Keyonte George’s best 3-point shooting performance of the season, he was also able to generate easy looks inside the paint. In the fourth quarter, as the Jazz were attempting to mount a comeback and George had already drained six 3-pointers, we saw how defensive adjustments opened up new opportunities for him.
In this play, John Collins sets a screen for George, and instead of switching, the Spurs opt for drop coverage. Tre Jones fights around the screen, trailing George from behind. As Collins begins his roll, George attacks the paint with him, capitalizing on the defensive gap created by the coverage to finish with a wide-open layup.
For Keyonte George, much of his offensive impact seems closely tied to his 3-point shooting. When he’s hitting from deep at a high clip, defenses are forced to adjust, making it easier for him to pass, penetrate the paint, and create opportunities for himself and his teammates. If George can develop into a high-volume 3-point shooter, similar to players like Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, or Donovan Mitchell, the rest of his offensive game—passing, driving, and playmaking—will naturally become more effective. Buy stock in Keyonte George folks, he’s playing good basketball, and while there’s certainly room for improvement, he’s showing a lot of really good things.
A Weird Utah Jazz Lineup
During a five-minute stretch in the fourth quarter, the Utah Jazz deployed a lineup of Collin Sexton, Brice Sensabaugh, Johnny Juzang, Lauri Markkanen, and Walker Kessler. Substitutions didn’t occur until the 7-minute mark, when Keyonte George replaced Juzang and John Collins came in for Kessler. During this period, the Jazz struggled to find rhythm and the following results unfolded:
Scored just 7 points on 2/6 shooting.
Committed 2 turnovers.
Allowed 4 offensive rebounds.
Gave up 12 points to the Spurs.
Being outscored 12-7 over five minutes isn’t catastrophic on its own, and two turnovers in that span isn’t egregious. However, the concerning aspects of this stretch were the lackluster offensive process and an inability to secure defensive rebounds, both of which played a significant role in the Jazz's struggles. Let’s break down some concerning possessions from this stretch.
To start the fourth quarter, Utah’s initial play set a poor tone. With just 9 seconds left on the shot clock, Lauri Markkanen received the ball at the top of the key and was essentially tasked with creating his own shot. He drove left, straight into Victor Wembanyama waiting at the rim, but managed to draw a foul. While the result—a trip to the free-throw line—was acceptable, the process was less so. In a three-point game, right after a timeout, it’s fair to question whether this was the best shot Utah could generate. Ideally, this possession would have featured a well-designed play to create a higher-percentage scoring opportunity.
One of the main issues with this lineup is the lack of creators. Collin Sexton is essentially the only reliable ball handler, while Brice Sensabaugh, Johnny Juzang, and Lauri Markkanen are all better suited as play finishers rather than initiators. This limitation is evident on this possession: Sensabaugh has the ball at the top of the key, being pressured by the smaller but savvy Chris Paul. With no viable options, Sensabaugh forces a pass to Juzang, but there’s a clear miscommunication—Juzang hesitates, unsure whether to stay on the perimeter or cut. The result is a turnover and an easy bucket for the opposition.
This sequence highlights the issue of over-relying on Sensabaugh and Juzang in roles they aren’t equipped to handle. There’s no reason Utah shouldn’t have at least one of Isaiah Collier or Keyonte George on the court at all times, as even Collin Sexton is better utilized playing off the ball.
Here’s another example of a play where, like Brice Sensabaugh, Lauri Markkanen is being asked to do too much. Markkanen has the ball at the top of the key as San Antonio sets up a zone defense, applying pressure and sending double teams to disrupt Utah’s offense. On this possession, Markkanen has two open options: Walker Kessler in the paint and Collin Sexton on the strong side. Despite this, he opts to pass to Johnny Juzang, leading to a turnover.
While the misread is concerning, the larger issue is the role Markkanen is being placed in. He is being tasked with initiating the offense and making decisions that don't align with his strengths. By this point, there should be a clearer understanding of who Markkanen is as a player—he thrives as a play finisher, not as the primary initiator. Forcing him into this role puts unnecessary pressure on him and exposes one of Utah’s critical offensive weaknesses: a lack of true playmakers to generate efficient opportunities.
During this difficult 5-minute stretch, Collin Sexton stood out as the lone bright spot. He scored 5 of Utah’s 7 points and managed to keep the offense afloat, but his role in this lineup forced him to operate outside of his strengths. As the only true playmaker in this group, Sexton was often tasked with creating offense in situations where the system didn’t provide much support.
On this sideline out-of-bounds (SLOB) play, Sensabaugh inbounds to Sexton, and the Jazz initiate a horns action. Kessler sets a screen for Markkanen, but Champagnie stays glued to Markkanen, breaking up the designed play. Left without options, Sexton improvises and hits a deep three-pointer to salvage the possession.
Sexton deserves a lot of credit for his ability to make something out of nothing, but this sequence also highlights a larger issue. The best version of Collin Sexton is one where he plays alongside Keyonte George or Isaiah Collier, allowing him to focus on attacking, creating offense, and serving as a secondary playmaker. Without another creator on the floor, Sexton’s efficiency and effectiveness are unnecessarily hindered.
The primary reason this lineup saw extended minutes was the absence of Jordan Clarkson and Kyle Filipowski. Both players are capable of shouldering playmaking responsibilities, albeit in different ways. Their return should ideally reduce the reliance on lineups like this one. However, with the possibility of the Jazz leaning into a tanking strategy, it's likely we may see similar rotations more frequently as the season progresses.