NBA Draft 2023: Keyonte George can score, but his fit with the Dallas Mavericks isn’t great

Keyonte George is undoubtedly hoping that his name is called as a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. George proved himself a capable scorer in college, but does he fit with the Dallas Mavericks?

George, the 6’4 guard, is only 19 years old, and he is coming off of his only season with the Baylor Bears. He had a very strong season with the Bears, receiving several honors such as Big 12 All-Freshman team, Big 12 All-Newcomer team, and Big 12 Freshman of The Year.

Strengths

George’s biggest strength is his ability to get to the rim at will. He has a very quick first step, which helped him finish the season by averaging 15.3 points per game. He could often be seen going to the basket when his outside shot was not falling at a high percentage. George also showed an ability to rebound the ball effectively at the guard position, averaging 4.2 rebounds per game. His energy and willingness to put in the work is definitely something to keep an eye on as he looks to begin his career at the professional level.

Weaknesses

George’s biggest weakness is his deficiencies on the defensive end. Throughout the season, George constantly could be seen having a lack of energy or drive to compete on the defensive end. This was very obvious in the NCAA tournament whenBaylor lost by nine points against Creighton. George and the Bears struggled to contain Creighton’s offense, which saw their tournament-run end earlier than expected.

Another weakness was his inability to shoot the ball at a consistent clip from downtown. George finished the season shooting 34 percent on threes. He’ll need to improve his outside shooting in order to crack a rotation of an NBA team.

George also seemed to struggle at times with overall court awareness and decision-making. He was sloppy with the ball, averaging close to three turnovers per game. That wouldn’t fly with Jason Kidd coaching the Mavericks.

Fit With The Dallas Mavericks

I honestly do not see George as someone the Mavericks will be interested in if their pick lands at 10, but with pre-lottery mocks showing him in this range, it felt worth writing up. The Mavericks struggled on the defensive end this season, so much so that their head coach had to try and urge his team to “participate”. While George can absolutely score the ball, between his turnovers and his lack of energy on the defensive end, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be very high on the Mavericks’ radar.

NBA Comparison

The closest comparison for Keyonte George in the NBA is Anfernee Simons of the Portland Trail Blazers. Simons is a better shooter than George, but if George is willing to put in the work, Simons is the kind of player George could turn into given enough runway.

Overall, George had a strong season at Baylor. However, he does still have areas in his game where he needs to focus on to find success in his career moving forward. He is projected to be drafted very high, but I think it’s doubtful the Dallas Mavericks will have interest if they land a top-ten pick.