Admittedly, I have come around to the blockbuster Jaylen Brown-Paul George trade from the Boston Celtics' perspective. At least a little bit.
Trading Brown gives Jayson Tatum the reins as the clear No. 1 guy for the first time in his NBA career, it gives Boston more financial and roster flexibility for the long run (and optionality... too soon?), and, on paper, George might be a better fit in the system because of his catch-and-shoot abilities and recent history as a connector/sidekick.
But the problem is that George, who turned 36 years old in May, has legitimate durability concerns. He might be a good fit on paper, and there are reasons to like his pairing alongside Tatum, but if he's only going to play half of next season, that's going to be a big problem for the Celtics.
Paul George's durability concerns are very real
In George's last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2018-19), he played 77 games. In seven seasons since, he's played more than 60 games just once (74 in 2023-24 -- next highest is 56 games in 2022-23).
The California native is more often than not unavailable when his teams need him, and that might be a big problem for the Celtics. They essentially brought in George to give Tatum a new partner-in-crime, but if he's not there, the team's whole dynamic changes.
If George is out, it would be tough for Boston to trust someone like Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, or Sam Hauser to step up in that No. 2 role. And if there are games where George and Tatum are out, things are going to get really ugly, really fast.
You may have some criticisms of Brown, and a lot of them are valid (bad playmaker and doesn't elevate his teammates, bad off the ball, turnover-prone), but the one thing the Celtics will miss is his durability (outside of the shortened 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, the Georgia native has appeared in 60 or more games in every season of his NBA career).
Paul George needs to prove his doubters wrong for the Celtics to succeed
George isn't going to be a long-term contributor in Boston. He's already on his last legs in the NBA. But while he is on the team, he's going to play a big role in their success.
The Fresno State alum can still play. We saw it firsthand when he helped eliminate Boston in the first round of the playoffs just a couple of months ago. But he's aging, isn't durable, and isn't as good a player as Brown is at this stage in their careers.
If the Celtics want any chance at competing for a title next season, they're going to need everybody to take a step up, and that includes George, who is going to face a lot of pressure.
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