After a breakout season averaging over 23 points, Utah’s rising star skyrocketed into the top four of Underdog’s redraft, signaling a massive success for the Jazz.
Will the Utah Jazz make the playoffs next season?
Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George is fresh off his best NBA campaign yet. The third-year rising star improved his averages in essentially every aspect of the game this past season, despite playing only 54 games, the lowest amount of his career. George started in every game he was available for and averaged 23.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game, while shooting at a 45.6% clip from the floor and a 37.1% rate from beyond the arc.
Those numbers, alongside his drastic improvement at the free-throw line, 89.2% this season compared to 81.8% last season, have catapulted him into national prominence. As a result, Underdog Sports released its 2023 NBA lottery redraft, which saw George, who was drafted with the 16th pick, move up to the fourth pick in the draft, where he would be drafted by the Houston Rockets.
However, George isn’t the only Jazzman on this list. Brice Sensabaugh, who was drafted 28th overall by Utah, moved up 14 picks, where he would be drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans to round out the lottery. Sensabaugh, like George, had his best campaign yet. He averaged 14.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 46% from the field, all while starting only 22 games.
Meanwhile, in this scenario, the Jazz would end up taking Scoot Henderson, who was drafted third by the Portland Trail Blazers, with the ninth pick. That ninth pick was actually spent on drafting Taylor Hendricks out of UCF, who is now with the Memphis Grizzlies following the in-season trade for Jaren Jackson Jr.
Looking back, this draft was a massive success for the Jazz as they not only secured two lottery talents outside of the lottery, but also “drafted” Jaren Jackson Jr. with the ninth pick. Now with the second overall pick in the 2026 draft, Danny Ainge and co. have a chance to snag the final piece of the puzzle, whether it be AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson or Cameron Boozer.
Should the team be able to stay healthy and address the remaining holes the current roster presents, there is no reason to assume the Jazz will find themselves picking this high in the lottery again anytime soon. With a potential starting five that mixes young stars with established veterans, George’s confidence in the team making the playoffs next season may very well come to fruition.
