Paul George’s move to Boston has started to look a lot like the Al Horford story all over again.
The Celtics didn’t bring George in to be a carbon copy of Horford, and the two players aren’t built the same way. But the comparison has been there since the trade, mostly because Boston added him at an age when plenty of people were ready to wonder whether the best version of him was already gone.
Instead of easing him in the way some expected, the Celtics have mostly let him go to work. So far, he’s answered the same question Horford once did when he returned to Boston: was the decline real, or just a bad fit?
At least through the first nine games, George has made his case.
The skepticism around him wasn’t hard to understand. It came from the same place as the doubts about Horford when Boston brought him back: what happened in Philadelphia.
Horford’s stint with the 76ers was so rough that he was coming off the bench before they finally moved on. The fit never clicked the way Philly expected, and that failure made it obvious that Boston had been part of what made him look so good in the first place.
George’s time with the 76ers wasn’t that extreme, but it still left plenty of room for questions. For a player making over $50 million a year, he missed a lot of games and didn’t consistently look like Paul George. Yes, he played a real part in beating Boston, but Sixers fans weren’t exactly devastated when he was gone.
That’s why the reaction when George landed in Boston wasn’t exactly overflowing with confidence. Like Horford, he arrived with his reputation dented. And like Horford, he’s wasted little time showing that the “washed” talk was off base.
“One team’s trash is another team’s holy grail”
George isn’t posting the kind of All-Star numbers he used to put up in Indiana, Oklahoma City and Los Angeles, but he’s close enough for Boston’s purposes. More importantly, the Celtics aren’t asking him to be that guy. They want him to fit into Mazzulla Ball, and after nine games, he’s doing exactly that.
There are differences between the two paths, of course. Horford’s first Boston return technically came under Ime Udoka, and he also spent a year with the Thunder, though that didn’t register much because Oklahoma City was tanking. When Boston traded for him, most people were focused on the ugly Philadelphia version, not the bigger picture.
Horford’s second Celtics stint also began in a very different team context. Boston didn’t get off to a strong start that season, and he stood out as one of the few bright spots in a frustrating opening stretch. That didn’t stay the case for long, and a big reason was how well Horford played.
This year has started differently. The Celtics have jumped out fast, even if the schedule has been soft, and George has been a major part of that.
The simplest explanation is the one the Celtics are already proving: he needed the right team to bring out the best in him. Philadelphia wasn’t it.
Boston is.
In Other News...
Celtics Keep Sending An Early Message The East Cant Ignore
Bostons trip to Milwaukee offered another early-season reminder that this group is already playing with the kind of edge the rest of the East has to notice. After falling behind early, the Celtics settled in and steadily took control in a 117-97 road win, getting a strong scoring night from Paul George and another solid contribution from Jayson Tatum as they moved to 8-2.
The bigger takeaway was how quickly Boston flipped the game once it found its rhythm, especially over the middle two quarters when the Bucks had no answer for the Celtics pace and shot-making. It is still early, but wins like this are the kind that travel well, and Boston will get another chance to keep building momentum Friday against the Charlotte Hornets. [Read more 🡒]
Payton Pritchards Celtics Role Just Got More Complicated
The Celtics rematch with the Bucks offered a small but telling look at how Boston is handling its backcourt rotation. In the 109-102 win, the team opened with Mike Conley in the starting lineup as a nod to the veteran, while Payton Pritchard stayed in his familiar spot leading the second unit. It was the kind of tweak that does not change the overall shape of the roster, but it did underline how much trust Boston still places in Pritchards role off the bench.
Still, the setup invites a bigger question about whether Pritchard could eventually be tested in a different lane. His value as the sixth man is clear, but the Celtics also have reason to wonder what his game might look like with a starters minutes and responsibilities. For now, Boston is keeping things where they are, and that leaves Pritchard in a role that works well even as the conversation around it gets a little more interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Let Another Promising Start Turn Into A Brutal Celtics Reality
The Bucks came out with a good early push, but Boston settled in quickly and turned the game into its kind of grind. Paul George led the scoring with 27 points, while Jayson Tatum, Mitchell Robinson and Derrick White all made their presence felt as the Celtics answered the opening burst with steadier shot-making and a more connected approach on both ends.
Mitchell Robinsons night stood out in particular, with a well-rounded performance that showed up in the box score and in the flow of the game. Bostons defense tightened in the second quarter and changed the tone before Milwaukee could fully build on its start, leaving the Bucks to deal with a familiar problem: a promising opening that never quite held up once the Celtics found their rhythm. [Read more 🡒]