Baylor Freshman Keyonte George Is Even Better Than Advertised
When consensus top-10 recruit Keyonte George committed to the Baylor Bears, he immediately became the Bears’ highest-ranked recruit since Isaiah Austin in 2012. Scouts lauded his offensive ability, and he was expected to immediately contribute as a scorer.
But he’s done even more than that.
George has unquestionably been one of the best freshmen in the country, ranking fifth among freshmen in points per game (15.7) and seventh in assists per game (4.2). No other freshman is averaging at least 15 points and four assists per game.
George played prep ball at Lewisville (TX) before transferring to IMG Academy, and dominated from the jump – he dropped 31 points in his first game as a ninth grader, and never looked back. Scoring is George’s calling card; he has a deep bag of tricks, and is great at maneuvering his body to create advantageous situations:
George’s three-point percentage may look uncharacteristically low (32.9 percent), but he’s shooting a high volume (7.8 three pointers per game) with a high degree of difficulty. That confidence, paired with a clean shooting form and high free-throw percentage (85.7 percent) are cause for optimism that more of those threes will start going in.
Perhaps George’s best contribution, though, is his willingness to play within the structure of the offense. In all likelihood, he’ll leave for the NBA draft after this season, but he’s consistently sacrificed his own shots for the good of the team.
Some elite offensive prospects slack off when they don’t have the ball. But George consistently moves off ball, and his help defense and effort on the boards (4.4 rebounds per game) frequently create fast break opportunities for the Bears.
That’s not to say that he’s a lockdown defender, though. He still gets lost at times, particularly off-ball, and struggles to recover. He’s alright at the point of attack, but once he has to flip his hips, the play often deteriorates.
Still, George’s contributions have been overwhelmingly positive. There’s a reason he’s in the team’s closing lineup – just nine games into the season, he’s already earned Scott Drew’s trust. Even with experienced guards Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer on the court, Drew frequently runs the offense through George, through both isolations and pick-and-rolls.
There’s a lot of season left to go, and a lot of basketball left to be played. But George has stormed out of the gate, scoring double-digit points in eight of nine games and nearly leading the team in defensive rebounds. (He’s one shy of Flo Thamba, who’s a half-foot taller than him.
Keyonte George is the fifth five-star to ever play for Baylor, but there’s a good case to be made that he’ll be remembered as one of the best. None of the others ever averaged 15 points or four assists per game, marks George is on pace to clear as a freshman. None of the other five stars were drafted in the lottery; George is a consensus top-10 prospect. And none of the others ever made it past the Elite Eight. George? Well, he’ll have his chance in March.
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