The Boston Celtics lost to the Houston Rockets on Monday night, 109-93, and it was clear how much they missed Paul George, who missed the game for rest purposes.
George has been a fantastic addition for the Celtics so far. Through six games, he is averaging 20.7 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2.3 steals on 46.3/38.8/89.5% shooting splits (this includes his historic Celtics debut, when he dropped 38 points). He is contributing in every area of the game, and he is buying into his connector/complementary role incredibly well (great defense, diving for loose balls, moving the ball around, boxing out, creating his own shot, and shooting off the catch).
The way he got to Boston was controversial, but there is no denying that he has been a great fit so far. He's not the Celtics' best player, but he is going to be one of their most important players this season, and the team's loss on Monday is further proof of that.
Celtics failed to support Jayson Tatum against Houston without PG13
Houston is a great team on both sides of the ball, and this was going to be a challenge for the Celtics, regardless of who was playing and who wasn't. Still, Boston looked horrible in the game offensively, and having someone like George would have been a great help.
This was the first game during the young season that the Celtics failed to score 100 or more points, and they shot just 38.6% from the field and 28.6% from deep. There was way too much pressure on Jayson Tatum, and it showed. He scored just 19 points (which somehow still led the team) while shooting 5-for-16 from the field and 1-for-7 from beyond the arc.
There was very little shot creation behind Tatum, which made it easier for the Rockets' incredible defense to zero in on him and get the Celtics out of their rhythm. One of the biggest worries about trading Jaylen Brown was the lack of shot creation behind Tatum, and that was on full display against Houston.
Like he did for most of last season, Derrick White struggled with a bigger role (seven points on 3-for-12 shooting, 1-for-5 from deep), and nobody on Boston's bench scored double digits outside of Luka Garza, who scored 14 points on 4-for-9 shooting, including 4-for-7 from deep (Garzilla continues to impress).
Nobody supported Tatum, and this is a game where the Celtics would have benefited from having George on the court.
Paul George is valuable to the Celtics' success this season
George is not the same player he was 10 years ago, but he still provides a ton of value on the court. He has been exceptional in his sidekick role next to Tatum so far, but he's also capable of leading the offense when needed in spurts.
The California native still has a ton of gravity. He's not someone opposing defenses can ignore. George is a threat to score off the catch, off the dribble, on the perimeter, and even in the paint (whether he's getting there by cutting, driving, in transition, or even just being fed near the basket).
For a Celtics team looking to contend for a championship this season, having someone like George is incredibly valuable. There's a lot to like about what the 36-year-old brings to the table in Boston, and we're already seeing very early on what type of impact he has on the team's success.
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