NBA Draft Scouting Report: Baylor's Keyonte George

Scouting Report: Keyonte George

Contents

1. Prospect Profile 
2. Highlights
3. Draft Projection
4. 2023 Big Board 

Keyonte George 

Guard | Baylor

Height: 6'4" | Weight: 185 lbs

2023 Draft Age: 19.61

Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Prospect Profile 

George was one of the best combo guards in this freshman class and is a microwave scorer. Standing at 6-foot-4, he isn’t as tall as some guards in the modern NBA but he has the physical frame to make up for it. He’s strong for his age and has a broad build which should help him on both ends of the floor at the next level.

As explosive of an athlete as the Baylor freshman is vertically, he’s not all that quick with the ball in his hands. He doesn’t have an elite first step or the speed to blow by defenders, but George uses his strength to bully defenders.

He’s also got a variety of moves in his offense game that he’s not afraid to use on that end of the floor. Whether it’s dribble moves, jabs or pump fakes, George is crafty with the ball in his hands and still finds ways to get himself open in a more methodical manner. An advanced shot creator, he will definitely be capable of scoring at a high level early in his NBA career.

When the 6-foot-4 guard finds his way to the paint he’s an explosive jumper that has no problem finishing at the rack and playing above the rim. He’s a strong downhill slasher and attacker.

When it comes down to it, George is simply one of the best in this draft class at getting a bucket. He’s proven at the high school level that he’s willing and able to take and make big buckets, especially down the stretch of close games. This continued into his sole college campaign, being the alpha on a loaded Baylor roster. The Texas native isn’t afraid to pull the trigger, as he’s a confident shooter for good reason. While his 3-point shooting efficiency wasn't great as a freshman, there's plenty of evidence that would suggest he will be a productive perimeter scorer in the NBA.

Overall on the offensive end of the floor, George is more skill than athleticism as it relates to generating his shots. He could potentially be a unique guard that can work some from the post situationally using his strength against smaller college players. Regardless, he's a gifted scorer at all three levels.

Where George gets taken in the 2023 NBA Draft will likely come down to what type of passer and facilitator teams think he can be moving forward. As a freshman this season, he produced more turnovers than assists.

How will he be able to impact the game outside of being a volume scorer? If there’s a night in which his shot isn’t falling, George needs to do other things at a high level that impact winning.

If he if he can’t improve as a pure point guard and passer, he’ll likely begin to see himself in an off-ball guard role. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as he’s already proven to be effective in that role to this point, but George’s stock will rise a ton if he’s able to showcase the ability to make those around him better in the pre-draft process. 

George has the frame to become a good defender, but that end of the floor certainly isn’t what he’s known for as of now. That’s another swing skill to we kept an eye on this season at Baylor, and he did show some positive flashes overall

Spending his senior season at IMG Academy, George played with two other potential lottery picks in Jarace Walker (Houston)and Jett Howard (Michigan), who he will be directly competing with for draft positioning this summer.

Outside of playing high school ball and AAU, George represented the United States in a 3-on-3 setting at the 2021 FIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Cup, where he showcased his scoring ability and won tournament MVP on the way to a gold medal. He also was the recipient of the MVP Award at the 2022 Iverson Classic, rising above some of the other top prospects in his graduating class.

Highlights

Draft Projection

Mid to Late Lottery Pick in 2023 NBA Draft.

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2023 Big Board 

Want to know more about other potential 2023 NBA Draft prospects and where they might get selected? Check out our Draft Digest Pro Big Board.

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