Paul George may not be the same scorer he once was, but the Boston Celtics aren’t bringing him in for nostalgia. They’re betting on what still travels: the defense, the disruption, the way he can tilt a game without needing the ball in his hands every trip.
That’s the real reason George fits so cleanly with Joe Mazzulla’s group. At 35 and deep into year 16, he has settled into elite 3&D territory, and that version of him still matters plenty. Boston liked enough of what it saw in the first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, where George was a defensive headache, but that tape only scratches the surface of what he can still provide.
One stat from BBall Index drives the point home. George ranked No. 4 among forwards in defensive playmaking, with Josh Minott also in the mix. The metric is built from four pieces: steals per 75 possessions, deflections per 75 possessions, blocks per 75 possessions, and offensive fouls drawn per 75 possessions.
That’s the kind of profile Boston can plug directly into Mazzulla Ball. The idea is simple: maximize possessions for the Celtics and take them away from the other side.
George has spent his career doing exactly that. He’s the kind of forward who can wreck an opponent’s rhythm, create extra chances for his own team, and make an already strong defense feel even tighter.
The Celtics will manage him carefully, but the upside is obvious. Boston’s defense was already one of the league’s best last season, and George gives it another layer of pressure if he stays on the floor.
The counting stats may not look like they used to. Boston is not asking George to be Jaylen Brown, and that means his numbers could end up near career lows.
But that kind of dropoff is not new territory for the Celtics. Al Horford came in with lower production too, and the team still had no trouble understanding why he was worth the investment.
George is probably overpaid for what he can and can’t do, but the bigger issue is availability, not value in a vacuum. If he can stay healthy in Boston and help the Celtics win as many games as they did last season - or more - that contract talk starts to matter a lot less.
At this point, the story with George is not the box score. It’s the fit.
It’s how his turnover creation and possession control mesh with Mazzulla’s system. And when he got to Boston, George said he planned to give the team “everything.”
If the production matches the projection, that will be enough.
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Brad Stevens also weighed in on the fit, pointing to the way the trio can complement each other and what they can add once the season arrives. For now, the images and comments serve as the first public sign of Bostons new core taking shape, even if the real evaluation will have to wait until those pieces are on the floor together. [Read more 🡒]