Kyshawn George is an intriguing NBA draft prospect having played only one year at the University of Miami. He’s a high upside guard/wing who hopes to rise throughout the pre-draft process.
Kyshawn George 2024 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
George is originally from Switzerland but played his “high school” basketball in France. For college, he chose to attend Miami University for his lone freshman season. Miami underperformed this season finishing 15-17 despite having a talented roster on paper. George was played somewhat sporadically to begin the season, but he fully gained the trust of the staff going into conference play. Once he established his rhythm and gained starts, George showed he was one of the higher-upside freshmen in college basketball. He finished the season averaging 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.
Strengths
George’s signature strength is his perimeter shooting. He shot 40.8 percent from the three-point line on 4.2 attempts per game. This shooting ability also comes with a listed height of six-foot-eight and a six-foot-ten-inch wingspan. This is great positional size for someone who will play at the shooting guard position or on the wings at the next level.
Another strong compliment to George’s perimeter shooting and size is his playmaking ability. He isn’t an explosive or quick player, but he has a very good passing IQ and makes the right plays on offense. George made plays as the ball handler in pick-and-roll situations throughout his freshman year. His playmaking and passing ability are definitely welcomed for someone with his size and shooting ability.
Weaknesses
The major concern currently for George is his lack of explosion vertically and laterally at the NBA level. These concerns were confirmed with his subpar 32-inch vertical and 11.90 lane agility time at the NBA combine. For comparison, seven-foot-five and 280-pound big man Zach Edey posted an 11.19 for his lane agility drill. To be fair, most of this is due to George not having fully developed yet physically, and there’s certainly untapped potential for NBA strength programs to unlock. As it stands currently though, these traits project to affect him on both sides of the ball.
While his playmaking and passing ability are great for his age, creating his own shot opportunities isn’t a strength. This will most likely limit his on-ball opportunities at the NBA level. He may be relegated to a spot-up shooting roll unless he develops the craft and handles necessary for someone with his athletic abilities to become a secondary playmaker. On defense, George used his length well, but there were definitely times where his lack of lateral quickness was noticeable.
NBA Comparison
George is going to be an upside prospect who may need a couple of years in strength programs and the G-league to reach his full potential. A jumbo-sized playmaking shooter on the wing though sounds very enticing if he develops properly. This archetype brings to mind pro comparisons such as Joe Ingles and Jordan Nwora. Not the most explosive athletes, but they can bring a little bit of everything to the game on the wings. If his defense and shot creation improve, he has a chance of becoming an effective NBA player for a long time.
2024 NBA Draft Projection
Late First to Second-Round Pick
