George’s Absence Reveals Gaps In Utah Jazz Roster

Lauri Markkanen led Utah with 27 points and 11 rebounds. RJ Barrett scored 21 to lead Toronto.

Game Blog: Raptors Pull Away From Jazz Late

What the Jazz Learned Without Keyonte George

Keyonte George missed only his third game of the season, and his absence exposed several issues.

First, the Jazz stalled offensively in crunch time.

NOT TODAY 🛑 pic.twitter.com/4kZIobtSkS

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) February 2, 2026

They trailed by two entering the fourth quarter and had the best player on the floor in Markkanen, giving them a realistic chance to win in Toronto. But the Jazz, the league’s sixth-best fourth-quarter shooting team, went 4-21 in the final period without their second-leading scorer, and missed all nine of their 3-point attempts.

George is shooting 44 percent in fourth quarters this season. Without his scoring and playmaking, Utah couldn’t generate easy looks when it needed them most.

Second, Ace Bailey isn’t ready to shoulder a major offensive load.

The 19-year-old entered the league as one of the top scorers in the 2025 draft and carried a heavy burden at Rutgers. But he isn’t yet equipped to be a primary creator in the NBA.

When Bailey dribbles two times or fewer, he shoots better than 45 percent. When he dribbles three or more times, he shoots just 35 percent. That gap shows he’s still learning how to find his shots when forced to create on his own.

cleanin’ up with some 𝗣𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗥 🧼🧹 pic.twitter.com/npIvUV1ooN

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 2, 2026

As he gets stronger and tightens his handle, Bailey should improve as a self-creator. But with his size and high release, his most efficient path will likely involve one or two dribbles before rising to shoot over defenders.

Comparisons to Kevin Durant are unfair for any rookie, but the Houston Rockets superstar has scored nearly 32,000 points by minimizing his dribble and maximizing his ability to shoot over smaller players. Bailey may follow a similar developmental pattern.

Despite a 1-of-10 shooting night, Bailey recorded a career-high 11 rebounds, plus two assists, a steal, and a block. Labeled a one-dimensional scorer out of college, he has already shown he can impact games in multiple ways, and he continues to contribute even when his shot isn’t falling.

Jazz Playing Like One of the League’s Worst Teams

The Jazz’s recent skid aligns with their incentive to keep this year’s top-eight protected first-round pick, but the extent of their struggles has become apparent.

After a 10-15 start — not great, but better than projected — the Jazz are 5-20 over their last 25 games.

Had they held this pace since opening night, they would be trending toward a 16-win season, one fewer than last year’s franchise-worst 17-65 finish.

&

The Jazz, who own the sixth worst record in the NBA are closer to owning the league’s worst record than they are the league’s seventh-worst record.

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) January 31, 2026

Their slump includes their current six-game losing streak, their longest of the year, and just one win in their last 11 games.

Since Dec. 18, when this 25-game stretch began, the Jazz own the NBA’s worst win rate at .200 and the league’s worst net rating at -10.7.

After the loss in Toronto, the Jazz hold the league’s sixth-worst record. They sit only one game ahead of Brooklyn and Washington for the fourth-worst mark and trail Memphis by 4.5 games for the seventh-worst record.

It’ll likely result in keeping their first-round pick, but it’s been an undeniably rough stretch.