Paul George isn’t walking into Boston trying to rewrite the script. He knows exactly who the centerpiece is.
After being traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Boston Celtics, George made it clear that Jayson Tatum is the one superstar in the room. For a player who spent much of his prime carrying that label himself, the shift says plenty about where Boston stands now.
That’s a major change from the way the Celtics have looked over the last decade, when Tatum and Jaylen Brown were the two headliners. Tatum may have been viewed as the better of the pair, but both were still treated as the franchise stars. George, though, does not see himself sliding in as a co-equal next to Tatum.
Tatum’s return only reinforces that setup. He is back from a major Achilles injury, and the source material says he looks ready to step back into his superstar role after a long summer that included significant rest. Now he’ll be fresh again inside Joe Mazzulla’s system, with the task of getting the most out of everyone around him - including George, a new arrival but still a proven veteran.
For George, the adjustment is obvious. He has been a superstar before, so settling into a secondary role can be a tough transition. But according to the reporting, he’s handling it without resistance and is prepared to fight for his place behind Tatum.
“We have a superstar, and that's JT. I'm not here to necessarily steal the shine or try to reinvent who I am.
I'm here to help JT, and he's the guy. I've played alongside another superstar wing, and we co-existed beautifully,” George said about his role on the Celtics during the introductory presser.
That kind of clarity matters for Boston. The roles are already defined, which means Tatum does not face major changes beyond learning how to mesh more efficiently. George, on the other hand, is the one who has to adapt, and his time in Philly appears to have made that easier to accept.
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