Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George found the bond the Jazz needed in Finland

Behind a paywall, (The Athletic), but a fantastic read from the great Tony Jones.

And even more background details about Keyonte’s leap.

Highlights:

• Keyonte visited Finland in the offseason with Lauri. Since then, they have started hanging out off the court as well as. Lauri says it meant a lot to him

• In addition to yesterday’s post we were all laughing about, that Will Hardy called Keyonte in the middle of the night to say “play defense”, and then hung up, Hardy straight up told Keyonte in last season’s exit interview: “It’s time to grow up.”

• Hardy cares about keeping himself and his players accountable. “Trust is hard to gain, and I’m a young head coach who is growing with our team,” Hardy said. “I’ve grown a lot with those guys. I’ve had some good moments, and I’ve had some hard moments. The fact that I know that I have their trust means a lot to me. Credibility in the locker room is hard to gain. I’ve put a lot into our relationship, and so have they.”

• People around the organization internally noticed midway through last summer that Keyonte took the warning seriously, was working hard, and was making a leap

• Coach Hardy, Keyonte, and Lauri are constantly talking on a group chat. Clearly a leadership dynamic forming with these two players

• When Keyonte started getting benched a lot last season, his mother Kristen told him to watch his body language, “fix your face. Fix your energy”. To stay professional, and get something out of being benched. Thank you Mama George

There’s a solid foundation being built here Jazz fans. A coach and two players who are in it for the long haul 🤞🏼