Keyonte George was putting up fantastic numbers last season before he was shut down for the tank injuries that ended the season. His stat line is better than people realize, and when you compare it to the guards who made the USA teams last season, it’s eye-opening. But is it good enough to make the All-Star game this upcoming season? Let’s compare him to the players he would have to beat and whether that stat line would be better. I’m not even sure how the NBA even does this now with how much they
tweak the All-Star game, so we’re just going to look at both the East and the West. Now, for reference, here are Keyonte George’s numbers from last season.
Games: 54 | Minutes: 33.1 MPG
Points: 23.6 PPG | Rebounds: 3.7 RPG | Assists: 6.1 APG | Steals: 1.1 SPG | Blocks: 0.3 BPG
Field Goal Percentage: 45.6% (7.4/16.3)
3-Point Percentage: 37.1% (2.5/6.7)
Free Throw Percentage: 89.2% (6.2/7.0)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 53.2%
True Shooting Percentage: 60.9%
Now, here are the players that Keyonte George would compete with for an All-Star spot and their statlines and I’ll mark it as advantage Keyonte George or the other player.
Devin Booker
Games: 64 | Minutes: 33.5 MPG
Points: 26.1 PPG | Rebounds: 3.9 RPG | Assists: 6.0 APG | Steals: 0.8 SPG | Blocks: 0.3 BPG
Field Goal Percentage: 45.6% (8.5/18.7)
3-Point Percentage: 33.0% (1.9/5.8)
Free Throw Percentage: 87.3% (7.1/8.1)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 50.7%
True Shooting Percentage: 58.5%
Turnovers: 3.1 TPG
Booker gets the edge on defense, but George was the better player on offense, which probably surprises most casual fans.
Advantage: Keyonte George
Anthony Edwards
Games: 61 | Minutes: 35.0 MPG
Points: 28.8 PPG | Rebounds: 5.0 RPG | Assists: 3.7 APG | Steals: 1.4 SPG | Blocks: 0.8 BPG
Field Goal Percentage: 48.9% (9.9/20.2)
3-Point Percentage: 39.9% (3.4/8.4)
Free Throw Percentage: 79.6% (5.7/7.2)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 57.2%
True Shooting Percentage: 61.7%
Turnovers: 2.9 TPG
Anthony Edwards gets the edge in almost every category except for FT percentage and assists. George would have to make an insane leap to overcome Anthony Edwards. Never say never, but not super likely.
Advantage: Edwards
Cade Cunningham
Games: 64 | Minutes: 33.9 MPG
Points: 23.9 PPG | Rebounds: 5.5 RPG | Assists: 9.9 APG | Steals: 1.4 SPG | Blocks: 0.8 BPG
Field Goal Percentage: 46.1% (8.6/18.6)
3-Point Percentage: 34.2% (2.0/5.7)
Free Throw Percentage: 81.2% (4.8/6.0)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 51.3%
True Shooting Percentage: 56.4%
Turnovers: 3.7 TPG
This one would probably surprise people just how close these two are. Cunningham has a slight edge from the field, but Keyonte George was unquestionably a better three-point shooter last season. Cunningham has a clear advantage in assists, and his defense gives him an edge. But this is a real possibility for Keyonte George. George has better talent around him and, when he started last season, averaged over 7 assists per game.
Advantage: Cunningham
Tyrese Maxey
Games: 70 | Minutes: 38.0 MPG
Points: 28.3 PPG | Rebounds: 4.1 RPG | Assists: 6.6 APG | Steals: 1.9 SPG | Blocks: 0.8 BPG
Field Goal Percentage: 46.2% (9.9/21.4)
3-Point Percentage: 36.7% (3.1/8.6)
Free Throw Percentage: 89.2% (5.3/6.0)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 53.6%
True Shooting Percentage: 58.8%
Turnovers: 2.4 TPG
The numbers here are incredibly similar. Maxey gets the advantage in PPG, but also plays 5 more minutes per game than George. The comparisons to Maxey are legitimate, and I think George could overtake him this season given the playmaking he’ll be asked to do. George’s only real struggle is the number of mouths to feed in the Jazz offense, but the same could be said for Maxey in Philadelphia.
Advantage: Maxey, but George absolutely can pass him with another jump this season.
Jaylen Brown
Games: 71 | Minutes: 34.4 MPG
Points: 28.7 PPG | Rebounds: 6.9 RPG | Assists: 5.1 APG | Steals: 1.0 SPG | Blocks: 0.4 BPG
Field Goal Percentage: 47.7% (10.4/21.7)
3-Point Percentage: 34.7% (2.0/5.7)
Free Throw Percentage: 79.5% (6.0/7.5)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 52.2%
True Shooting Percentage: 57.3%
Turnovers: 3.6 TPG
Again, it’s surprising how well George stacks up here. Jaylen Brown is unquestionably a better defender than George, so that gives him an advantage. But George is close in every category and better in 3-point percentage, Free-Throw Percentage, Effective Field Goal Percentage, and True Shooting Percentage. George is also better in assists and steals, but Brown is the better rebounder. The points are a clear advantage for Brown, but when you dive into the FGAs, Brown shot 21.7 shots per game while George took just 16.3.
Considering the talent upgrade around George and the offense’s heightened role and focus, George gets the advantage here for me. I also think Brown will be fighting against narrative in Philadelphia. He was traded for less than I’m sure Boston wanted and now has to be more efficient in Philadelphia, and he won’t get the benefit of the doubt.
Jalen Brunson
Games: 74 | Minutes: 35.0 MPG
Points: 26.0 PPG | Rebounds: 3.3 RPG | Assists: 6.8 APG | Steals: 0.8 SPG | Blocks: 0.1 BPG
Field Goal Percentage: 46.7% (9.3/19.9)
3-Point Percentage: 36.9% (2.6/7.1)
Free Throw Percentage: 84.1% (4.8/5.7)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 53.3%
True Shooting Percentage: 58.0%
Turnovers: 2.4 TPG
Jalen Brunson was, and is, a legitimate MVP candidate for what he does for the Knicks, and it again highlights how good Keyonte George has the potential to be. George is comparable in so many categories that it makes you wonder how he doesn’t make this team if he improves again.
Advantage here goes to Brunson because he’ll get the New York media and narrative edge, but don’t be surprised if Keyonte George is better numbers-wise across the board next season. It’s truly astonishing how good he could be this season, and how much pub he’s about to get.
De’Aaron Fox
Games: 72 | Minutes: 31.0 MPG
Points: 18.6 PPG | Rebounds: 3.8 RPG | Assists: 6.2 APG | Steals: 1.2 SPG | Blocks: 0.3 BPG
Field Goal Percentage: 48.6% (7.1/14.5)
3-Point Percentage: 33.2% (1.8/5.5)
Free Throw Percentage: 76.0% (2.6/3.4)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 54.9%
True Shooting Percentage:57.8%
Turnovers: 2.3 TPG
This is not even a question. Yes, Fox gets an advantage at the rim, but George is unquestionably a better shooter and a higher-upside passer. Fox will also face some awful PR from a disastrous playoff run that has likely already knocked him down a notch with voters.
Advantage: Keyonte George
Donovan Mitchell
Games: 70 | Minutes: 33.5 MPG
Points: 27.9 PPG | Rebounds: 4.5 RPG | Assists: 5.7 APG | Steals: 1.5 SPG | Blocks: 0.3 BPG
Field Goal Percentage: 48.3% (9.7/20.0)
3-Point Percentage: 36.4% (3.2/8.8)
Free Throw Percentage: 86.5% (5.3/6.1)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 56.3%
True Shooting Percentage: 61.3%
Turnovers: 2.8 TPG
Mitchell has become one of the league’s elite scorers and, while it’s not out of the question, it’s unlikely George can outproduce him in scoring. That’s partly due to Mitchell’s lack of interest in passing the ball. That said, Mitchell is likely to have another elite scoring season and, unless George goes nuclear, Mitchell will get the nod pretty much no matter what.
Advantage: Mitchell
Stephen Curry
Games: 43 | Minutes: 30.9 MPG
Points: 26.6 PPG | Rebounds: 3.6 RPG | Assists: 4.7 APG | Steals: 1.1 SPG | Blocks: 0.4 BPG
Field Goal Percentage: 46.8% (8.7/18.6)
3-Point Percentage: 39.3% (4.4/11.3)
Free Throw Percentage: 92.3% (4.7/5.1)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 58.7%
True Shooting Percentage: 63.7%
Turnovers: 2.8 TPG
There’s no question here that Steph Curry gets the nod, he’s unquestionably the greatest shooter of all time and continues to produce. The only thing that will have George make All-Star over Curry is if Curry doesn’t play the requisite games or misses because of injury.
Advantage: Curry
That makes the tally of clear advantages for Keyonte George in the All-Star hunt at:
De’Aaron Fox
Devin Booker
The list of players that George has a possible chance of overcoming is:
Jaylen Brown
Tyrese Maxey
Cade Cunningham
It’s going to be a fun season for Keyonte George, who has every advantage in front of him. Don’t be surprised if he dominates all season long.
