I know it was just one game. I know it was just the preseason. And I know the Philadelphia 76ers didn't play LeBron James, Jaylen Brown (remember him?), and Joel Embiid. But Paul George looked great during his technical-first game with the Boston Celtics.
And. I. Am. Moved.
His shot didn't fall (he shot 3-for-10 from the field and 2-for-7 from deep, but a lot of that was because of his questionable shot selection in the first half), but he did just about everything else right.
In the win, George recorded 13 points, five rebounds, four assists, and FIVE steals in 25 minutes. He played incredibly hard defensively, diving for loose balls and playing the passing lanes, and he indirectly created other steals by applying pressure and forcing the ball loose. He also moved the ball around and fed Jayson Tatum a lot, showing just a glimpse of what this dynamic could look like.
The Celtics acquired him to buy into their system, complement Tatum as the clear-cut No. 1 guy, and contribute to winning basketball. And very, very, very early on, he is doing exactly that.
Celtics fans should be thrilled with Paul George's preseason debut
I understand that a lot of Celtics fans still aren't over the Brown-George swap, and it's hard for me to argue against that. The team is putting way too many eggs in the George basket because they genuinely need him to be healthy and available when the playoffs come around in order to compete for a championship, and there are reasons to be wary of this. And, on paper, they did get worse (at least if you look at it from an NBA 2K-ratings type of perspective).
But George is also a better fit next to Tatum on paper because he doesn't need the ball in his hands to make a real impact. The Fresno State alum is a better passer/playmaker, a better shooter, and a more versatile defender than Brown is. He can play off of Tatum better than Brown ever could, and he already proved that in preseason.
One preseason game shouldn't solidify your opinion on the trade (regardless of which side you're on), and it's obviously going to be important to revisit the discussion once the regular season gets rolling, especially closer to the playoffs. But George's first (unofficial) game with the Celtics was a huge success.
He looked good. He looked comfortable. And he already looked like he had been playing with the team for years. George can be a great fit in Boston, and he has already proven that.
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