The Boston Celtics are going to need to figure out Paul George's role with the team next season. And while the Celtics need more shot creation behind Jayson Tatum with Jaylen Brown no longer on the roster, they may benefit from having the California native act more as a connector rather than another ball-dominant wing.
Obviously, Tatum is going to be Boston's primary creator next season and beyond. In the past, he would mostly split these duties with Brown, which is what made them an intriguing duo.
George is a completely different player from Brown, though, and his role and fit in Boston will reflect that. The Fresno State alum excelled with the Philadelphia 76ers as a complementary player to Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Joel Embiid. He would take a backseat, fill in the margins (play team defense, catch-and-shoot, playmake, etc.), and step up when needed.
His ability to play this connector role at such a high level is one of his biggest appeals to Boston, and it is the exact role the Celtics need him to play to help him and them reach their full potential next season.
Paul George is a fantastic second weapon for the Celtics
To be completely clear, George is not better than Brown is at this stage in his career. But on paper, there are reasons to feel more confident in his fit in Boston.
The 36-year-old is a better complement to Tatum because he doesn't need the ball in his hands to make much of an impact. He can get to his spot on the outside (and is a great catch-and-shooter -- just last season, he shot 41.7% off catch-and-shoot threes) while being able to make an impact in every other area of the game.
Boston shouldn't take George off the ball completely (especially because he's easily the team's second-best shot-creator), but this isn't the Indiana Pacers version of him. He can still play at a high level, and fans should be excited about what he can bring to the table, but he's not going to carry the load offensively at this point in his career.
George should be an off-ball player first in Boston who can step up as the primary creator when Tatum is out or is having an off-game. In theory, this is a 1-2 punch that could be very successful. Only time will tell if the Celtics made the right call acquiring him for Brown (and it will probably be a looooong time before we have a consensus), but there is serious potential for this to work... as long as the team puts him in the best position to play to his strengths.
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