Paul George has done everything right so far during his two appearances for the Boston Celtics this preseason. He's playing exceptional defense. He's moving the ball around. He's hustling and diving for loose balls. And he's boxing out incredibly well.
The problem, though, is that his shot isn't falling. At all. It's only preseason, and preseason is about just finding your rhythm for the start of the regular season, but this is still something Celtics fans are hoping will improve sooner rather than later.
Paul George has not been shooting well with this Celtics in preseason
Through two preseason games, the California native has averaged 9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3.5 steals while shooting 25% from the field (yikes) and 21.4% from deep (bigger yikes).
I'm not too worried about his slow start shooting because 1) it's still just preseason, 2) he had 43.9/39.2/82% shooting splits just last season, and 3) he has mostly gotten really good looks; the shots are going to fall eventually.
Still, this is something worth keeping an eye on. The Celtics don't need George to turn back the clock to his Indiana Pacers days (though that would help a ton), but they need him to be at least somewhat of a scoring threat. Boston has put a ton of pressure on Jayson Tatum to be the focal point of its offense after trading Jaylen Brown. There isn't nearly as much secondary creation, and it's going to take a bit of a committee to replace the former Finals MVP's impact.
George needs to be a part of that. He's the second-best player on the Celtics, and opposing defenses need to be wary of him. Anytime he struggles with his shot, that's going to make it easier for the opposition to zero in on Tatum and effectively mess up Boston's plans on offense.
Paul George is still showing his value to Boston
Again, it's just preseason, but preseason is a glimpse into what the regular season and beyond could look like. Preseason is when we see certain players and teams on the court for the first time, and we get a potential sneak peek of what's to come.
And even though he has struggled putting the ball through the hoop, I'm liking a lot of what I'm seeing out of George, and it's already clear that he can provide some real value.
The Fresno State alum has been active in every area of the game, and he should be a great fit alongside Tatum. He complements Tatum's game very well because he doesn't need the ball in his hands to make an impact, and fans should be excited about what he can bring to the table. He still needs to find his shot (which I'm confident will happen soon), but very early on, I'm liking what I'm seeing out of George in a Celtics uniform.
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