It took some time, but I have started to come around to the Paul George acquisition for the Boston Celtics. Ignoring that the Celtics traded Jaylen Brown to get him (which, to be fair, is a pretty big part of the deal), there's actually a lot to like about what George can bring to the team next season.
The California native is an excellent fit in Joe Mazzulla's system. He is a fantastic catch-and-shooter (he shot 41.7% off catch-and-shoot threes just last season), he is a good playmaker for his position, and he is a good team defender. Plus, he can make an impact on the court without the ball in his hands, and he should be a great sidekick to Jayson Tatum.
But the problem the Celtics are having with George is that they need him to be more than just a complementary piece. As things stand, he is the second-best player on the roster and is going to be an important part of their success... and that's not necessarily a good thing.
Paul George can thrive on the Celtics, but probably not enough
George can still play (Celtics fans saw it firsthand when he averaged 17.4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.4 steals on 48.9/55/77.8% shooting splits while playing great defense in seven playoff games against them last season), but he's also 36 years old and guaranteed to miss at least 30 games a year at this stage in his career.
He's not the same Paul George he was during his Indiana Pacers days, but the Celtics are going to need him to be if they want to seriously compete for a title next season. And that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
The Fresno State alum found his groove with the Philadelphia 76ers last season as a connector -- someone who could fill in the margins wherever the team needed (catch-and-shoot threes, create some shots, playmake a little bit, play defense, and just take over when he needed to). He was essentially their fourth option behind Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Joel Embiid. And that's why it worked so well.
George is not going to have that same luxury in Boston. Outside of Tatum, there's nobody on the roster who is clearly going to have more responsibilities than he will, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Derrick White already proved he's not a reliable No. 2 or 3 option, and it still remains to be seen whether Payton Pritchard is going to move into the lineup next season or keep his sixth-man role.
George can be a great addition to this Celtics roster, and fans should be excited to see what he can do. But the team may need a little too much out of him. They'd just better hope it doesn't backfire in the end.
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