Keyonte George earns NBA All-Rookie Second Team Honors despite up and down season

We're not as high on Keyonte George as some. He's athletic, that's true, but his inconsistencies as a rookie have us worried. It's not that we can say "he played well but there's room to grow". It's more like "he was a key reason why the Utah Jazz lost so many games". His utterly bad defense, inconsistent shot, and miserable three-point shot really handcuffed the team. Yes, they were trying to lose, but they didn't have to be this bad.

George looked awful all year and got worse as the season carried on. Yes, he had his moments, but so do a lot of NBA players, and a handful of good plays should not be the litmus test to success in the NBA. Brandon Jennings dropped 50 points once and he's not a good player.

Consistency is the key to longevity and longevity is the key to success. Right now, George has not shown to be very consistent so it's a bit surprising to see him land on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

George joined GG Jackson, Derek Lively, Amen Thompson, and Cason Wallace on the second team, while Chet Holmgren, Jaimie Jacquez, Brandon Miller, Brandin Podziemski, and Victor Wembanayama made the first team.

The name missing that should be here is likely Cam Whitmore, who outplayed George on all the levels. He was a better shooter, and better defender, had a higher box plus-minus and his VOPR (value over replacement player) was greater too.

George could be a good, maybe even great player, but the future success of George does not mean he's a good player today. George did not deserve a spot on the All-Rookie team, simply for his defense alone but also for his poor shooting. He's the only player on either team to average under 40% shooting per game this season.

We're not sure how that gives him a spot on the second-team, but in the eyes of the NBA, it does.