OKC Thunder draft preview: Miami's Kyshawn George is a late bloomer and outside threat (2024)

It was an adventurous freshman campaign for George. He is a one-and-done prospect but underwent an unconventional path to reach that destination. The 20-year-old started the season off the bench before he was a starter in Miami. This explains why his stats don’t pop out. He averaged 7.6 points on 42.6% shooting, three rebounds and 2.2 assists. He shot 40.8% from 3 on 4.2 attempts.

The 6-foot-7, 205-pound forward has great size for his position. He has a 6-foot-10 positive wingspan. He gained momentum as his season progressed and went from a bench piece to a possible lottery pick. He was a 3-star high school player who took advantage of his opportunity.

George possesses great physical tools to give him a high ceiling. He has a smooth handle and can score off the dribble. He’s a great outside shooter and can be an immediate catch-and-shoot threat. This will be his bread and butter early on in his NBA career. The playmaking flashes and his height advantage lets him make reads most players can’t. He also has a nice feel for the game and frequently makes the right plays. His drives to the basket are creative as he twists and turns his body for a clean look.

The 20-year-old has a lot of room to grow. He will have rich resources in the NBA to fill out as a player. He’s risen most draft boards because of this and there’s a good shot he lands close to his ceiling in the right situation.

This will be the side of the ball that George will need to work on at the NBA. He has a good baseline considering his length and physical tools. He can be a versatile defender that can guard the 1-4 spots. Expect him to rely on technique and IQ to be a positive defender. His positive wingspan should make him a threat to disrupt passing lanes and collect steals. He averaged 0.9 steals in 23 minutes at Miami.

He has a good shot at becoming a decent perimeter defender. That’s all George has to be if his offense rounds out. He won’t be a lockdown guy but can stay in front of his man and fight over screens. He can add weight to his frame to make that a possibility. But for the immediate future, he has a solid frame to avoid getting attacked by opposing teams’ best scorers.

George is a late bloomer, which means a lack of a large sample size might concern some. He had a solid three-month stretch to end his freshman season at Miami. Nonetheless, he will have skeptics who’ll question that perhaps this was just a hot run and not something sustainable.

The 20-year-old is a project that needs time in the G League. He must attack the basket more often to be a complete scorer. 130 of his 190 shot attempts in Miami were from outside. He showed flashes of being a decent downhill scorer and dunk threat, he must now increase that sample size.

His lack of aggressiveness led to just 27 free-throw attempts last season. He must increase that number to reach his potential. He will need to work on his playmaking to be a primary ball-handler. That area of his game is raw but he showed potential throughout the college season. Right now, he projects to be more of a secondary playmaker than a primary one.

Reading George’s scouting report, it sounds very similar to Williams. He was a low-star high school recruit who had a meteoric rise among draft boards in 2022. The difference is Williams was a solid multi-year college player at a small school. But he had elite tools and became one of OKC’s best selections in recent history.

That’s not to say George will be one of the best wings in the league by Year 2, but there is a blueprint of success for someone who’s had a similar path to him. If the Thunder adds George, expect them to slowplay his development. He will likely spend a lot of his rookie season with the G League’s OKC Blue, where he can get ball-handling reps.

With the Thunder, the 20-year-old will likely be just a spot-up shooter. Expect most of his outside looks to be catch-and-shoot chances. Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams will give him plenty of decent looks on their drives to the basket. If he shows up, he has a shot to be in the rotation by the end of the season.

He will enrich the Thunder’s offense with his outside shooting and size. He can be a good connective passer who can get backup guard/wing minutes. If he becomes a better off-ball mover with crisp cuts to the basket, he’ll get plenty of chances to get easy buckets during his time in OKC.