The tools, talent, and trajectory of Kyshawn George
Miami's Swiss-born prize freshman turned heads as a potential one-and-done in the team's overtime loss to Wake Forest. Let's break down what makes George so tantalizing for scouts.
Size, shooting, and the ability to put the ball on the floor seem to be the formula for modern off-guard and wing prospects in this era of NBA basketball. Those attributes make it incredibly surprising looking back at the ranking of Miami’s star freshman, Kyshawn George, who recently scored a team-high 21 points in a highly contested game against Wake Forest.
George, the 40th-ranked shooting guard in the class of 2023, hailing from Switzerland, was not expected to play big minutes for the Hurricanes early into his career despite possessing many of these attributes. George was dubbed a raw prospect, having played 20 or more minutes in just two games in his final international season with Elan Chalon.
However, in the absence of likely draftee Wooga Poplar for the last two games, George has been thrust into a heavy-minute role, playing 79 total minutes for the Hurricanes in those games. In this inflated play time, George has averaged 16.5 points per game and has shot the nylon off the bottom of the rim.
The primary draw of George comes from his positional size. He’s massive for a guard, often towering over his defensive matchups, but despite this, his fluidity is often even better than his smaller counterparts.
On top of this, he’s a versatile and consistent outside shooter. While most of his three-point attempts have come off the catch, he’s shot a blistering 47.8% on those catch-and-shoot threes, with a 43.1% clip overall.
George’s shot mechanics are smooth. He has a stable base and solid lift, making for a solid complement to his natural gifts, while his upper body consists of a quick and repeatable motion, with a set point around his brow.
George made five threes in this breakout performance against Wake Forest, including an NBA-range bomb to open up the game’s scoring.
Length opens up so much from the perspective of a perimeter-oriented player like George. His naturally higher release point makes him harder to contest and close out on, and when shooting off the dribble, that’s only amplified when he can get his body into someone and play off of bumps and fades.
One thing that George does well as a shooter that often falls on deaf ears is his footwork. Whether it’s off the catch, movement, or dribble, George rarely ever wastes steps in his shot preparation. He prefers a left-right step into his shot, which is exceptionally quick off of relocation, and allows him to get right into his shot from the ground up in rhythm.
The off-the-dribble shooting upside is something George showcased more against Wake Forest than he’s had the chance to in previous games. He was stepping back, playing off screens, and pulling up in transition. Not every off-the-dribble shot that George has taken thus far has gone in, but the feel for space and how to get to it is impressive for someone thrust into their first shot at big minutes.
While the flashes are exciting, most of George’s offense comes from his ability to shoot it off the catch with efficiency. He’s a jumbo-spacer who demands respect from the perimeter and gives Miami’s talented on-ball creators a chance to create a shot with extra room.
Another potential reason why George isn’t as featured on the ball as he is off likely has to do with the wildly different percentages, echoing a disparity in comfort he has shooting it in different settings. As of today, George has shot just 3-of-16 (18.8%) on his dribble jumpers this season. It’s a small sample, of course, compared to his 23-of-47 clip in catch-and-shoot settings, but still stands as a stain on an otherwise remarkable shooting resumé.
Part of the reason for George’s subpar self-created shooting could be his lack of burst. While large and fluid with a great handle, George’s first step isn’t particularly explosive, and his top-end speed is rather lackluster. He almost requires a screen to create space at times, and while he navigates them well as a ball handler, using screens as someone who is primarily a scorer essentially takes the screener out of the play.
There is upside with George as an isolation scorer because George’s handle is tight, but with a general lack of ability to manipulate speed, heights, and angles it means that George becomes a jump-shot-reliant scorer, which tends to lead to varying degrees of inconsistency for most.
Of course, the rough off-the-dribble shooting percentages could simply be a small-sample-caused outlier. If George were to turn into a capable or even elite off-the-dribble shooter, it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a prospect blossom in such a way at the next level. One such example would be Devin Booker, who was used as much more of a movement shooter on a stacked Kentucky team than he is now.
I bring up Booker more as an example rather than a one-to-one comparison, as that would be incredibly lofty for even someone projected as a top pick. However, it is worthwhile to mention the success stories in the case of prospects with similar skill sets to George, as a big, fluid off-guard who can handle and shoot.
One area where George can unlock his handle, despite a lack of burst, is closeouts. George’s most common play type thus far is the spot-up, which is defined as a play that starts with the player catching the ball at a standstill. As someone who is elite in the catch-and-shoot, George must be respected whenever the ball hits his hands outside the arc.
George forces defenders to run out to him on the perimeter, getting them at a momentum advantage, and allowing George to leverage his lack of burst into an advantage with. Players who attack closeouts at an elite level shift defenses and create advantages for the whole offense in which they play. If you can attack a closeout well enough, you’re essentially playing five-on-four while the initial defender fights to get back into the play, forcing defenses to rotate more and putting them into a more reactionary style of play, giving the offense full reign to do what they wish.
Because of the space with which Miami plays, most of these spot-up possessions simply turn into open threes for George, but as the sample grows, we’ll likely see George using closeout attacks as a way to get to the rim or generate offense for his teammates.
On the note of playmaking, where George flashes a ton. While he averages under two assists a game through the young season, his passing arsenal and feel for where and how to get his teammates the ball has shown in spurts.
It’s another area where George’s size factors in, and it’s part of the new wave of big playmakers the NBA is currently bearing witness to. Larger, lengthier playmakers not only give you much more lineup versatility, being able to play them at a variety of positions in a variety of lineups, but they innately see the court better and can create windows for passes over the top of defenses better than smaller guards.
George is growing as a playmaker, and it’s not his role with the Hurricanes, but in the possessions, we see him handling the ball in the pick-and-roll, or just when looking at his assists from this season, it’s easy to picture his passing as something that translates well to the next level.
He is not only capable but willing to fit the ball into dangerous windows, jumping to throw skips to the corner, rifling it to cutters from the three-point line, or floating an alley-oop to a rolling big or wing. He excels especially out of the pick and roll, and Miami hasn’t been afraid to use him as a ball-handler and playmaker in those settings.
My biggest gripe offensively with George is his finishing. As of today, George has only shot 14 shots at the rim, and on those attempts he has made just six for a 42.9% clip. Not only is this number indicative of his lack of explosiveness hindering his ability to make shots, but his struggles to get by the initial defender hampering him from getting to the rim in the first place.
The misses George has suffered at the rim can be ugly, and oftentimes you can forget he’s six-foot-eight when he gets there. Part of these struggles could be aided by adding functional strength. George is listed as under 200 pounds, and it’s clear when you look at him. He can get knocked off his spot around the rim with not much contact, and if an arm is in his way it can lead to him just flat out missing the rim.
Additionally, there’s just skill to be added to his attacks. He’ll often pick up too early, leading to him jumping too far from the rim, causing unnecessary adjustments, and leading to his shots coming on the way down leading to him losing power and finishing short. Generally, he just misses some very easy ones too, especially with his left hand.
Of his six makes through the season thus far three came in transition (one of those was a put-back), one was off a cut, and one came with no help rotation. His best finish came against Kentucky, where he came off a screen, got his defender behind him, and finished through the body of the help with his right.
Added strength, and learning how to better change pace and adjust at the apex of his jump would do wonders for George. He’ll likely never be an elite finisher, but doing what’s possible to implement his shooting touch into his finishing, as well as adding strength and athleticism where possible would be the best outcome.
On the other end of the floor, there are a lot more positives to be said about George. His length again factors in his ability to slide with defenders, and his lateral agility is genuinely very solid. He defends with his feet and chest first, leading to him rarely fouling.
He gets down into a strong defensive stance and can navigate screens well, taking up space for smaller ball handlers and contesting their shots. He’s exceptional off the ball, rotating and being in the right spot to force mistakes and ruin offensive attempts.
His hands are excellent, and while he’s only generated seven steals, he has a great mind for when to dig at a ball that’s too low or too far out, or when to simply just poke or snatch the ball from an offensive player. His length really shows in this aspect too, as while there’s no updated measurement for his wingspan, it’s clear that he can get his hand in spots that defenders just don’t expect them to be.
His four blocks on the season don’t necessarily tell a story of some undiscovered vertical explosiveness, but his timing and again, his hands, are almost perfect and showcase a ton of upside as an on-ball stopper who can roam and cause havoc off of it.
Overall, George is a prospect with a ton of potential. Currently, he’s more likely a guy who will declare in 2025 with the chance to experience a more expanded role after the departures of some key pieces for the Hurricanes. However, if he continues to blossom in the way that he has been over the last handful of games, there will undoubtedly be a team willing to jump on someone with his size and skill set.
At just about his worst, George projects as a big off-ball shooter who can defend and put the ball on the floor with the intention to pass. However, if he can figure out the weaknesses he has as a finisher, and prove that the off-the-dribble shooting is merely a slump highlighted by a small sample size, it’ll be hard to deny him as a first-round talent, this year or next.