'I didn't even know I made it': Keyonte George's poster dunk was more than just a highlight
Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — The fastbreak unfolded in Keyonte George's mind as he began sprinting down the court.
He'd get a pass from Simone Fontecchio, and then lob it up to John Collins for a dunk. To George, it was all clear; it just didn't happen that way.
"But (Fontecchio) threw it a little late," George said, ending his initial plan.
The late pass changed things — and maybe for the better.
With George getting closer and closer to the basket, he didn't feel he had the time to throw the lob anymore, and he didn't think he could get a layup past New Orleans guard Dyson Daniels. That left him with one option: go for the dunk.
He rose up and threw the ball down toward the hoop as Daniels met him in the air.
"I didn't even know I made it, to be honest," George said.
The crowd told him the result pretty quickly. Once he heard the fans erupt, he figured out what happened.
pic.twitter.com/LWQbt3XPTq — Bleacher Report November 28, 2023"That was nasty," Jordan Clarkson said. "That was nasty. It kind of surprised me."
Clarkson, coincidentally, had his first poster dunk at the Delta Center, too, as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2015.
"It was like a steal, took it the other way and dunked it," Clarkson remembered. "I think it was on Dante Exum — not to name-drop."
But back to George's poster ...
Teammate Kris Dunn joked that George had better call up his mom and tell her that everything was all right in Utah because he "attacked that rim a little too hard."
That type of attack is just what Jazz coach Will Hardy wants from the young rookie guard, though.
Before the season began, the Jazz sat down with George and addressed the need for him to become a better finisher. In college and in high school, sheer athleticism usually rules the day. The top-end players in lower levels who can make a move to the hoop usually have no problem finishing when getting there.
Life is different in the NBA.
"He can't live his whole life on jump shots," Hardy said. "That's just a hard way to go, and he really does have a burst; like, he has a change of pace."
George used that burst on the aggressive dunk. And that, more than the highlight finish, stood out to Hardy.
"That dunk was probably one of my favorite plays of the game just because of how aggressively he went to the rim," Hardy said. "We need that from Keyonte. He knows how much we believe in him."
Finishing with an explosive dunk would be preferred in most cases, but George knows that can't always be the case. That's why he practices different finishes daily, and has worked on positioning his body to be able to play more physically near the basket.
"There's been a couple of games this year where I've gotten stripped multiple times, so just trying to be physical, play through the bump and, ultimately, just put the ball high up the glass and have a lot of touch around the rim," he said. "Tonight, I was able to get to my spots and get to the rim and draw fouls and finish."
And get his first career poster, as well.
"I didn't get a poster till, shoot, probably tonight," said George, who had a career-high 19 points Monday. "I think this is my first body for real."
He's hopeful it's the first of many.
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