Paul George has wasted no time making Boston look like the right fit.
Through the early part of the season, he’s putting up 20.4 points a night for the Celtics in 30 minutes per game, and his 60% true shooting would stand as the second-best mark of his career if it lasts. The numbers are strong, but the bigger story is how he’s getting there. George isn’t simply scoring more in Boston - he’s scoring in a different way.
His role has shifted again. With the Clippers, he was a high-volume pick-and-roll centerpiece.
With the 76ers, he leaned into isolation. In Boston, he’s become more of an off-ball threat and a playmaking outlet, adapting to a team that’s asking for movement, spacing, and quick decisions.
The usage tells part of the story. George’s 28.5% usage rate would be his highest in four seasons if it holds, and his 23.6% assist rate would also be a four-year high.
He’s functioning more as a finisher than he has since 2022-23, and his three-point rate has climbed above 50% for the first time in his career. Even with that jump, Synergy Sports says his spot-up volume is down from last season.
That’s a major change from his Clippers years, when he was one of the offense’s main engines alongside Kawhi Leonard. From 2019 to 2023, Synergy tracked pick-and-roll ball-handler possessions as a huge slice of his workload, ranging from 29.3% to a peak of 36.3% in 2021-22. Once passing out of those sets is included, nearly half of his offensive possessions - between 42.3% and 49.3% - came through the pick-and-roll, where he regularly graded out as "Very Good" or "Excellent," including 1.095 points per possession in 2020-21.
His time in Philadelphia brought another version of George. Over two seasons with the Sixers, isolation became the biggest piece of his offensive profile, reaching 19.9% in 2024-25 and 19.3% in 2025-26.
He was highly efficient in those situations, earning an "Excellent" grade from Synergy both years at 1.055 and 1.045 PPP. He also stayed balanced attacking either direction, with left drives producing 0.900 to 0.988 PPP and right drives at 0.936 to 1.000 PPP.
Boston has opened a new lane for him. The Celtics’ offense is built around movement, and George has been thriving in the space it creates.
Off-screen actions, which were less productive for him in Philadelphia, have turned into a weapon. Synergy has him at 1.722 PPP coming off screens on an 8.7% frequency and 1.313 PPP on handoffs at 7.7%, both "Excellent."
He’s also converting spot-ups at 1.179 PPP on 18.8% frequency and cutting for 1.714 PPP. Last season in Philadelphia, he was at 0.859 PPP off screens, which was only "Average," and the year before that he posted 0.779 PPP, a "Below Average" number.
The Celtics’ system is feeding that production. According to NBA data, Boston is scoring 1.20 PPP on off-screen actions, third in the league and up from 0.98 last season.
They rank third in overall frequency and second in points scored per game. The ball is moving more too, with Boston averaging 292.8 passes per game, up from 285.2 - about eight more passes each night.
George has also been a boost in the lineups that matter most. He’s been effective alongside Jayson Tatum, posting a plus-54 in roughly 176 minutes with Tatum on the floor.
But the more telling number may be what he’s doing without him: plus-27 in nearly 95 minutes. For a team still figuring out the non-Tatum stretches after the Jaylen Brown trade, that matters.
No one is asking George to be Brown, and that’s not the point. What he’s giving Boston is enough of a bridge to keep those minutes from becoming a problem, and the Celtics have started the season in good shape because of it. The on/off numbers that didn’t favor Brown are leaning George’s way so far.
Still, the sample is small, and the season is young. A 36-year-old is not going to stay on this exact track forever, and Boston’s schedule has been friendly enough to make the start look even better. Seven of the Celtics’ 10 games have come against below-.500 teams, including five against the three worst teams in the conference.
The real test starts tomorrow night in Philadelphia. Boston has 11 games left on its November schedule, and eight of them are against teams currently above .500. If the Celtics are going to keep stacking wins, they’ll need George to keep thriving in this version of the offense.
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 🡒]