Welcome to part 3 of this year’s draft coverage! Check out the pieces on Cason Wallace and Kobe Bufkin if you haven’t seen them yet. Those two players, along with Baylor’s Keyonte George, tend to make up this year’s “big three”, as I like to call it. If you asked the average Raptors fan who has been paying somewhat close attention to the draft who their preferred group of players would be at the 13th pick, one of those names usually pops up, if not all three.
I’ve been following Keyonte George since he was in high school, and I have his outstanding play from when he cooked the Canadian U23 team at GLOBL Jam burned into my memory.
A flawed prospect, but nonetheless an insanely fun player to watch. The Big 12 Rookie of the Year impressed with his offensive play for Baylor, though his efficiency may cause some initial concern to those perusing his stats. There’s more to Keyonte’s game than meets the eye, however. Let’s dive in.
Offence
Let’s get it out of the way, you’re drafting Keyonte for his shooting. While 34% from deep may not jump off the page, it’s important to look at what kind of shots made up his diet. 7 three-point attempts per game is on the higher end for a college guard, and Keyonte essentially had the neon green light to create offence for a Baylor team that struggled to match the production of the previous two years.
His shot is very clean, compact, and repeatable. No matter what kind of shot Keyonte puts up, he won’t deviate from his confident and smooth form which provides a great deal of optimism as to how it will translate to the NBA. Two of the biggest green flags to look for in prospects to determine if they’ll be a good shooter in the NBA is if they have a good shooting form and if they have a high percentage at the free throw line. Keyonte checks both boxes easily.
I would advise those who are concerned with his efficiency to evaluate them with a degree of skepticism. A large percentage of his shots were difficult, and 48% of his threes came from 30+ feet out. On those deep threes, he only shot 31%. Once he stepped inwards, that percentage climbed close to 38%.
Despite primarily being a scoring guard, Keyonte had stretches at Baylor where he operated as the main handler and even played point. Per 40 minutes, he averaged 21.4/5.8/3.9. Keyonte should help lighten the load when it comes to ball movement.
I think his ball handling is in a good spot, development wise. He showcased a higher degree of comfort and control with the ball than a lot of other guards his age, and I think that bodes well for his future in creating looks on offence.
He didn’t get to the rim often, but when he did he showcased a good degree of balance and ability to finish against contact due to his body control, as well as an ability to finish with either hand. He also used this skill to get to the line at a decent rate.
Speaking of body control; Keyonte’s ability to immediately go from mid-dribble into his shot, and still maintain good form, is incredibly encouraging. There’s quite a few instances of his film at Baylor where he was able to rise up off the dribble for a shot out of a spin move, hop-step, or step-back.
Defence
Keyonte is quite strong, with a wide and sturdy frame. His physical tools should prove to be a boon for his game defensively when paired with his good lateral quickness.
Keyonte’s strengths lie in defending the perimeter, where he used his quick hands to average 1.6 steals per 40 minutes, and excelled in contesting shots while keeping his fouls low. He fights well over screens and was one of the better guards in college at defending the pick-and-roll.
There isn’t much more to say about Keyonte’s defence, he’s simply just a solid perimeter presence with a good physical profile. If a team winds up selecting a scorer who can stay on the floor due to his discipline and defensive tools, they’re going to end up pretty pleased.
Areas of Improvement
Keyonte’s first step is below average, and he struggled getting into the paint unless he had a wide open lane or cooked up a rare dribble move that shook his opponent. Only about 15% of his total field goal attempts were at the rim, and even fewer than that off self-created looks. Might be a headache for his coach in the future if he can’t get to the rack. Opposing teams could theoretically gameplan to keep a man on him on the perimeter and freeze him out if he doesn’t develop his ability to get inside.
Keyonte didn’t measure at the combine, but unofficial records put him at about 6’3-6’4. I’d place him closer to 6’4 in shoes just off the eye test. Regardless, he would be below average height for a shooting guard. While he defends with effort, it’s likely he’ll be targeted by the bigger players of the league, and doesn’t have the high level defensive IQ or insane reach of a similarly sized player like Cason Wallace to mitigate that concern.
He needs to take smarter shots. Keyonte’s ability to get a look in a difficult situation is valuable, and it bodes well for his future as a shot creator, but the fact that a large chunk of his shot diet consisted of poor shots resulted in his efficiency tanking.
He’s obviously not a point guard. Despite the encouraging assist numbers, Keyonte posted a negative ast/to, and he can be prone to the occasional boneheaded pass which will lead to some head shaking. You’d want him playing beside a superior playmaking guard in the league.
Role on the Raptors
Guard play! Shooting! Excitement! Keyonte provides a skillset that the Raptors have been craving for the last four seasons. It’s easy to project him as a bench shooter for the first couple years, but if the Raptors find themselves desperate for talent after a potential exodus of their guard talent in free agency, he could be thrown into the fire of the starting lineup to develop as part of a future core with Scottie Barnes.
The shooting off the catch will be one of the best on the team pretty much immediately, and the Raptors will likely use Keyonte’s ball handling ability to keep the offence afloat in bench lineups. Occasional PNR reps. Long term, expect secondary playmaking potential.
I’m really interested to see how he would perform in lineups with Jakob Poeltl, as he has experience running the pick-and-roll at Baylor. His passes to the roller tend to be accurate, and if that fails, he can drive to the rim or fall back off the screen for an open shot. Jakob sets some good screens, and Keyonte loves taking little sidesteps off those screens to put up a three. Lots of great options offensively with both players on the floor.
Expect Keyonte to defend both guard positions well, though he won’t be winning any all-defensive awards.
Brendan’s Assessment
Keyonte is 11th overall on my big board. Lower than the other two prospects I’ve covered so far, but I still confidently place him as a lottery talent in this class. I think the shooting is definitely going to translate well, but his fit will be key in terms of maximizing his potential. Starting him as an off-ball shooter beside a more experienced playmaking guard and letting him grow into those ballhandling reps could yield his team a valuable scoring and playmaking presence in the future.
Even if his shot selection ability is on the questionable side coming into the league, he still posted a higher efficiency than other guards commonly mocked in this range such as Nick Smith Jr and Jalen Hood-Schifino, and has flashed potential of more ancillary skills than either player.
While the examples of dumb shots are numerous, and the ability to get to the rim remains my biggest concern with his game the flashes of brilliance of Keyonte’s offensive game keep me from dropping him down my board.
I’m curious if operating in an NBA offence with more spacing will yield more attempts for him at the rim, or at least allow him to attempt more open looks which will in turn reward him with a more positive efficiency. If a team tries to rush him into being a go-to scorer, it could be a bumpy road. At 19 years old, it’s likely that Keyonte will make a fair amount of mistakes early on given how he plays. That said, the investment could be worth it for teams in search of a high end offensive player.
Where are we at with the “big three”? Well, a Cason Wallace selection might satisfy those who want to shore up some point guard depth while maintaining the team’s defensive identity. Keyonte George can patch up a lot offensive holes on the team by providing much needed shooting relief and positional versatility. Kobe Bufkin figures to be the everyman’s pick, capable of doing a little of everything, though not crazy elite at any one skill. While I personally rank Wallace the highest, I think the sky-high ceilings are there with all three players.
Still a couple weeks until the draft, still a few more prospects in this range to check out. Stay tuned!
In the mean time, please also check out Samson and Trevon’s video on Maxwell Lewis and Jordan Hawkins!
