Paul George gives Joe Mazzulla a very different kind of puzzle.
Boston’s frustration over the Jaylen Brown trade makes sense in one obvious way: the Celtics did not get prime Paul George back in return. On pure talent, swapping Brown for George is a step down right now. But George is still a quality player, and that’s what makes this such an interesting test for Mazzulla.
Mazzulla has built a reputation for making the most of whatever he has, especially when the roster has been stretched thin. That was on display this past season.
George, though, asks for something a little different. The nights when he could reliably pour in 25 points are mostly behind him, but he remains a strong shooter and a sturdy defender for his size.
Boston has already seen enough of him in the playoffs against Philadelphia to know it won’t be asking him to carry a star’s load. At this point in his career, even with what he’s being paid, that isn’t the job.
The real challenge for Mazzulla is turning George into more of a glorified 3&D wing. The good news is that George can still put the ball on the floor and create his own shot, which only helps.
There’s also the contract reality. “Overpaid” and “bad” are not the same thing here. George probably should be making something closer to Derrick White - around $30 million - and if he performs at that level, Boston can live with that, even if it’s not the version of Brown they once had.
The bigger issue is availability.
George has dealt with injuries for years, and since 2019 he’s topped 70 games only once, during his final season with the Clippers in 2023-24. That was the outlier. In the rest of that stretch, he landed somewhere between 31 and 56 games.
Now that he’s in his mid-30s, the Celtics likely won’t just scale back his role. They’ll probably manage him the way they do Al Horford. One of Boston’s main priorities will be having George ready for the playoffs, and the path there likely means rest when possible and leaning on the wing depth that’s considered one of the team’s strengths.
So Mazzulla’s job with George comes down to two things: squeezing the most out of a player whose best years are past and keeping a long injury history from becoming a season-long problem.
He’s handled difficult roster situations before, but this one is different. George could still end up better than expected if Boston handles him the right way. And after Mazzulla just finished his best season as a coach, that best-case outcome is very much in play.
In Other News...
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White also touched on the ripple effects inside the roster, from Neemias Quetas new contract to his own push for a better season. He said he wants to sharpen his shooting and clean up a few small areas after feeling he did not play as well as he wanted last year, a reminder that even amid the roster churn, the Celtics are still measuring themselves against the same internal bar. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Brown Move May Have Created A Bigger Celtics Problem
Jaylen Browns departure from Boston was framed as a harsh but necessary cap decision, the kind of move Brad Stevens said the Celtics had to consider when so much of the roster-building money was already tied to Brown and Jayson Tatum. It was the sort of front-office choice that can reshape a contenders present and future at the same time, especially when a team is trying to keep its title window open without boxing itself into impossible financial corners.
Now that decision may be echoing beyond Boston. Victor Wembanyamas reported willingness to accept a rookie extension below the maximum has sparked the idea that stars could start viewing a little short-term sacrifice as a way to help their teams stay flexible, and that is exactly the kind of precedent the Celtics would not mind setting in the abstract. The lingering question is whether this becomes a one-off gesture or the start of a broader shift in how elite players approach their next big deals. [Read more 🡒]