Carlos Boozer: Jazz Land No. 2 Pick as George Says Why Not Us
carlos boozer and the Utah Jazz left Navy Pier with the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft lottery, then Keyonte George turned that result into a public challenge. Utah missed out on the No. 1 pick, but George said the franchise should still be aiming at the postseason after a 22-60 season.
George and Ryan Smith
“Why not us?” was the phrase George and majority owner Ryan Smith agreed on before Sunday’s lottery in Chicago. After Utah landed second, George described the exchange this way: “We had got on the phone. I was just like, ‘Why not us?’ And then he was like, ‘Why not us?’”
He did not stop there. “There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be striving to be in the postseason and go far in the postseason,” George said, adding, “Obviously, the ultimate goal for myself is to win a championship.”
Utah's No. 2 Pick
The No. 2 selection gives Utah a chance to add another top prospect even after it fell short of the pick that could have landed AJ Dybantsa. ’s Jeremy Woo ranked Dybantsa as the top prospect in the draft, and Utah has reached out to the Washington Wizards about potentially moving up to No. 1.
If Washington stays put, the Jazz could still land Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer or Caleb Wilson. George spoke with Peterson after the lottery and gave him a hug, then joked, “I just told him [Peterson] to buckle up, that’s all.”
Peterson’s own numbers make him part of the conversation. He averaged 20.2 points and 1.6 assists per game for Kansas last season, and he told Andscape, “I want to be a point guard in the NBA.”
Will Hardy and Utah
George’s optimism is tied to more than the lottery result. He said Utah has versatility across point guard, shooting guard, power forward and center, and pointed to head coach Will Hardy’s X’s and O’s and game breakdowns as a reason for confidence.
“We get a top-two talent in the draft and get to build on the changes we made with getting Jaren,” George said. “On paper, we are definitely a playoff team.” That is a sharper read than the one the standings gave Utah this season, when the Jazz finished 22-60 and last reached the postseason in 2022.
George backed up that confidence with his own production, too. In 2025-26, he averaged a career-high 23.6 points and 6.1 assists per game and shot 37.1% from 3-point range, giving Utah a guard who is already talking like a team trying to move faster than its recent record. For the Jazz, the draft slot is the next lever, and the player most associated with it is not hiding what he thinks comes next.
