Keyonte George is careful not to pay attention to Donovan Mitchell comparisons

CLEVELAND — “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

That was Will Hardy’s first response when I brought up the fact that lately people had been comparing Keyonte George’s third season to Donovan Mitchell’s third season.

“He’s got a lot of sayings,” George said with a laugh when I told him what the Utah Jazz head coach said. “But when it comes to that type of stuff, he’s real good on keeping you grounded.”

There’s truth and reason for the comparison, and in some cases, George’s third-year numbers look even better than some of Mitchell’s. Though it’s comparing a partial season to a complete season, Mitchell averaged slightly more points than George, while George is averaging more assists and is shooting the ball better than Mitchell did through the 2019-20 season.

The biggest reason for bringing up a comparison like this is because the 2019-20 season for Mitchell marked his first All-Star appearance. It’s natural for fans to believe that a player with similar production should be in consideration for a similar accolade.

It’s natural for it to be a part of the conversation after the Jazz’s Monday night win over Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers, when George went for 32 points including 25 in the second half, when Mitchell finished the night with just 21 points.

Even Mitchell weighed in after the game.

“They came in there and just outplayed us. It started with Keyonte George, who deserves to be an All-Star,” he said. “A young fella that I know personally, and I’m excited to see his progress just from last year ... I’m happy for him. And then Lauri (Markkanen) is obviously Lauri, so I got to give them credit.”

And George has seen these comparisons popping up on social media in the last few weeks.

On one hand, he tries to just ignore it and move on. But he’s human, so it’s natural to have a reaction. But his reaction does not make him believe that he’s deserving of an All-Star vote or that he should be getting the same kind of recognition that Mitchell gets. It just means that he’s on the right track.

“When you’re compared to guys like that — I mean he’s an All-Star level player every single year — it gives me a boost of confidence," George said.

“It doesn’t put more pressure on me, because I know how old I am, I know how much room I got to grow, and I got an organization that I feel believes in me and is behind me. I’m grateful that I’m starting to get that kind of recognition, but Don, he’s done so many great things for this organization, and I’m not even close to that.”

There’s no doubt that George will be on some people’s consideration list when it comes to All-Star voting, though it seems that him actually making the team is a stretch when compared to the players who are likely to actually make the team. Looking at the numbers compared to players like Mitchell are important when voters are making these decisions.

But, the differences that do not show up when comparing basic production numbers are a really important part of the conversation. And George is fully aware of the differences.

First, the Jazz during Mitchell’s third season were winning. The Jazz were 44-28 in the 2019-20 season, good enough for the 6th seed in the Western Conference, and they had the best record in the NBA the following season.

George brought up the fact that the Jazz back then were hunted, not hunters. Mitchell was often guarded by the opposing team’s best defender every night and they were getting the best effort from every team they played.

“I know it can be hard for teams to get up to play us,” George said. “It’s just a totally different set of circumstances. They had Bojan (Bogdonovic) and Mike (Conley) and a four-time Defensive Player of the Year. And we’re trying to get to the point that we are as good if not better, but it’s just totally different every night.”

There’s also the steady consistency Mitchell showed starting with his rookie season, and the level that he has continued to play at. Then there’s the defensive differences. Mitchell was drafted, in large part, because of his defensive potential, though he became more an offensive threat at the NBA level. Even so, his defensive on-off numbers (while not always great) were much better than George’s.

There could be danger if George paid too much attention to a comparison of this caliber. He could fall into a pattern of trying to compete in line with the comparison. Trying to get better numbers to prove someone else’s point.

Instead, George takes this information, logs it and uses it to continue on the current trajectory.

“I look at as trying to make a competition within myself, not looking at trying to step into Don’s shoes, because those are big shoes to fill,” George said. “They were in the playoffs, I haven’t been to the playoffs, they were over .500, there’s so many aspects of what his numbers were and all that. Looking at the bigger picture helps. I just need to go out and compete and try to get better.”

George is proud and happy to be a part of any type of conversation that has him compared to someone like Mitchell, but he’s measured and realistic when he sees them made. He’ll gladly take the compliment and keep his head down as he tries to reach for greatness. But first, he’s got to help his team win and win a lot more than they are right now.