On paper, Paul George is a great fit with the Boston Celtics (great shooter, defender, playmaker, and has proven to be a fantastic complementary piece who can also step up when needed). But it won't matter at all if he's not on the court.
Paul George's injury concerns could limit his impact in Boston
George has long had durability concerns, and that has especially been the case in recent years. He has played in more than 60 games just once since the 2018-19 season, when he played in 74 games with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2023-24 (even if you take away his 25-game suspension from last season and assume he played in all those games - which was highly unlikely anyway -, he would have played in 62 games).
There are a lot of reasons for Celtics fans to still be upset about the fact that the team traded Jaylen Brown to get him, but this may be at the top of the list. George is practically guaranteed to miss half a season at this point in his career, whereas Brown has never played fewer than 60 games during a full-length season.
Boston is putting a lot of eggs into the George basket, which isn't ideal for a team that has championship aspirations. It's going to be tough for the team to bank on him so much when there's a concern he may not even be able to play the next handful of games.
The Celtics don't have a great backup option behind Paul George
The 36-year-old can still play, and he actually can move the needle for the Celtics. He should be a great partner next to Jayson Tatum and is a fantastic complement to him. But if there's a time when both of them are out (inactive or just on the bench), then Boston could be in serious trouble. There's no more JB to fall back on.
Derrick White proved last year that he can't really be trusted to be a No. 2 option with his shooting woes. Payton Pritchard has mostly been a bench player for his NBA career, and while fans should be excited to see what he can do next season, it's going to be a lot to ask him to regularly be a go-to option when needed. And players like Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman, and Hugo Gonzalez just aren't built for that right now.
I get the appeal of George's fit in Boston, and I actually have high hopes for what he can bring to the team. He may not be the same player he was even just a few years ago, but he can still play at a high level. But there are also genuine reasons to feel like having him on the team could backfire against the Celtics in a big way (not even factoring in that they traded Brown to get him).
Boston's success next season will largely hinge on George's health, and that is not something the team or the fanbase should feel confident about.
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