Swing Skills: Can Keyonte George Impact Both Ends?

The Baylor freshman is an incredible scorer, but can he match that with production on the defensive end?

Two games into his college career, Baylor freshman Keyonte George has looked spectacular. The guard has averaged 18.0 points, 7.0 assists and 5.5 rebounds per contest while shooting 42.1% from beyond the arc.

With that in mind, those are numbers that should be expected of George. Coming into the college game, he was projected to be perhaps the most pure scorer in the entire Big 12 Conference.

What’s more interesting is the other end of the floor. George will likely be a lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but the defense will determine where he will go in the top half of the first round.

At 6-foot-4 with an 185 pound frame, he certainly has the tools to be an effective defender.

Through these first two games, George has already produced three steals and one block. While that’s great, defensive impact goes beyond raw stats.

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At 2022 GEICO Nationals as a senior at IMG Academy, George posted a 73 DSI (Defensive Statistical Impact) according to Cerebro Sports, which isn’t phenomenal but does prove the upside is there on that end. Can he be effective at the college level?

While George has been solid on the defensive end early in the season, there’s definitely been instances where he’s out of place or makes an undisciplined play. To be clear, this should be expected out of a freshman.

Especially as the season goes on and the level of competition rises, George’s impact on defense will be something NBA scouts are monitoring. If he can combine the microwave scoring with defensive production, there’s a real change he’s selected in the top five. 

If not, he could be a mid to late lottery pick.

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