Just 11 games in, this has been the best start to a season in Keyonte George’s young career. And, there are myriad contributing factors — his attitude, his approach, the emphasis on defensive details, tighter handles, recognition of his role — but there’s been one big change that is easy to see.
George is getting to the free-throw line nearly twice as much as he was in previous seasons. But more important than the fact that he’s taking more free throws is the part of his game he’s changed that’s led to the increase. George has stopped foul-baiting.
It’s natural for players, especially young players, to lean into defenders, to look for contact, to try to get a bump anytime they have the ball in their hands, to flail when they feel the slightest touch, in hopes that the officials will call a foul and then they can get into rhythm at the foul line.
But Jazz coach Will Hardy, through film sessions and many conversations with George, wanted to see his young guard play to his strengths rather than look for a bailout.
“He’s getting to the free-throw line more and baiting for fouls less because he’s just playing in straight lines,” Hardy said. “One of the big emphases (the officials) have had the last couple of years is that the path plays. If the defender reroutes you off your path, it’s a foul...It’s been interesting for him to get the payoff and know that if you just do it the right way, you don’t have to go fishing.”
The move toward this type of play is multi-layered. George was tasked with bettering his body over the summer — harder conditioning, more lifting. More stamina and more strength would increase his athleticism and allow him to withstand more physicality on drives.
The next part is getting him to see when he was playing for the foul rather than driving directly and with purpose.
“Will would see me sort of drift towards a defender, trying to get to the (free throw) line, and he just tells me, ‘don’t leave it up to the refs,’” George said.
It feels obvious to say that if a player focuses on scoring, he’ll score more. But it’s not always easy to get that message to sink in when you look around the league and see so many high-profile players that clearly bait for fouls or just get a bulk of scoring at the free-throw line. It leads young players to believe that they need to get to the line more and that the easiest path there is to go hunting for a foul.
But George is now seeing the fruits of his labor. His at-rim percentage has increased from 62.7% last season to 75% so far in the 2025-26 campaign.
“My finishing is way better than the past two years because now I’m actually looking to go score,” he said. “Last year I was trying to kind of get the bump and fall off my line too much. But like Will always says, the rules are in the offensive players’ favor ... and it’s really been helping.”
What’s more, George is finding that the fouls are easier to spot for the officials because there’s no shenanigans involved, that’s why he’s seen the increase in free-throw attempts — up to 7.8 attempts per game compared to 4.3 last season and just 3.0 attempt per game in his rookie year. And there’s good reason to believe that he’s also earning credibility with the officiating crews as a result.
If the refs watch a player flop or bait for fouls repeatedly, they’re less likely to give them the benefit of the doubt. But playing in straight lines, driving with intent and allowing the officials to see legitimate fouls, gives a player more leeway and opens them up for better conversation with the officials about other things happening on the court.
“So, if they don’t call something on a play, I’ve got some credibility,” George said. “If I say, ‘Let me get that one’ and stuff like that, they know I’m not just fishing and they’ll take a closer look next time down.”
It’s not like George has completely moved on, all players look for a foul from time to time. But he’s got statistical proof that playing this way has helped him and now he just has to make sure he doesn’t revert back to old habits.
