Keyonte George: 6'4" 200 lbs 15.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.1 spg, 38% fg%, 34% 3%, 79% ft%
Keyonte George has one of the more intriguing skillsets in this Draft class but failed to play up to the expectations while at Baylor. George played the U23 global games for a depleted Baylor roster and scored 32 and 37 points against Italy and Canada setting himself up to be a top 7 pick but he struggled with shooting consistency as a freshman at Baylor. George sprained his ankle and really struggled to move following that and played at a weight he said was not right for him. All that said, George can score in a plethora of ways with an advanced creation game stemming from and expansive repertoire and an insatiable desire to score. George was one of the winners of pro-days/ the NBA Combine as he shot the lights out and demonstrated a focus on playing point guard which would raise his ceiling giving him plus size at his position and couples scoring knack with some passing flashes he showed as a 2 guard at Baylor. The question is can he run an offense and still score. In that sense, he reminds me of Jamal Murray who is who I compared George to coming out of high school as a taller shot making guard who relies more on shooting than athleticism to score and can play make but is not a natural point guard.
Strengths:
Scores as if its second nature.
Potential to be a microwave scorer.
Picturesque form.
Scores from 3 and midrange and can drive but that is behind the other 2 levels.
Draws fouls which is what good scorers do.
Shows promising signs of playmaking/ good vision.
Tight handle but does not use it to go down hill as much as he does to create space for a J.
Does have a hesitation move which is big for a player of his ilk.
Has size to play 2 if the 1 does not happen as it looks like he's trying to do.
Grabs rebounds.
Weaknesses:
Negative assists to turnover with 95 turnovers to 91 assists.
Is a tough shot taker and sometimes maker but makes it too difficult.
Can force.
Only an okay rim finisher shooting 52% from rim finishes.
For how pure his shot looks, his shooting numbers are very pedestrian.
Bumped away from rim so makes shots harder than they need to be.
Can pout on the court at times.
Late in season, did not make a positive impact on the court.
Swing Skills: Should Keyonte George really hit in the NBA, I believe it will be as a scoring point guard who learns to run an offense as the primary ball handler and keeps his scoring chops. I mention Jamal Murray as someone of whom he should aspire to follow the career path. Now, George has the scoring capacity to follow Murray but Murray does play second fiddle to the best passing big man in the game and George may need to find a similar fortune as I do not see him eclipsing 6 assists per game without serious marked improvement passing the ball. I beleive teams will need to be patient with George to cultivate the passing flashes he demonstrates and if they are, you could be looking at a steal 10-15 in the draft who scores 19 points every year and adds 5 rebounds and 4 assists.