What the Boston Celtics Can Expect From Paul George

He's mostly been discussed in transactional terms, but George has something left to give, and he can be effective in a lot of the ways the Celtics need.

May 8, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) reacts to his three pointer against the New York Knicks during the first quarter of game three of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This is the next installment in a series of pieces examining what the Boston Celtics can expect from each of their players this season. Others in the series: The Rookies, Mike Conley. Tomorrow: Jordan Walsh

Paul George is in a weird place. 

Not only is he in a new city, which happens to be the team he helped eliminate in brutal fashion a few months ago, he’s in a much different situation. 

Two years ago, he signed a four-year max contract with the Philadelphia 76ers after two consecutive All-Star seasons with the L.A. Clippers. The signing was probably a reach for a team desperately trying to figure out how to build a winner around Joel Embiid, but it was still a contract he signed with a team that sought him out and saw him as part of their future.

The page has turned on George, mostly because of recurring injuries that keep limiting his time on the floor. He played 78 games in two seasons with the Sixers because of the injuries, and because of a drug suspension which George said was part of addressing his mental health. 

Today, he’s part of the “underwhelming return” for Jaylen Brown, which paints his arrival in Boston in an extremely negative light. So far, he’s been mostly discussed in transactional terms; reduced to a number in a spreadsheet and the conduit through which Boston will get their next good player … if that's even possible. 

But while that's the nature of the beast in an NBA that revels in transactions, it glosses over a key element to this trade. 

When he’s on the floor, Paul George can still play basketball.

“Paul’s a really good player,” Brad Stevens said in a behind-the-scenes video released by the team. “We’re excited to get a chance to work with him … he’s been a really good player for a long time. He’s one of the more impactful players with regard to winning, even as he’s aged, in the NBA.”

This is where I have to state the obvious: Brown is a better player than George is. No one is arguing that he’s not. What the Celtics did was move on from a player who no longer fit their long-term plans … for whatever multitude of reasons … and added a player who, even if it’s temporarily, can still be part of winning in Boston. 

“We just think he’s a good fit for how we play,” Stevens said in the video. “And I think the other part about Paul is, he’s very smart. He has a good feel for the game. He’s got a good savvy to him about the game. And I think that fits in with the rest of our lineup.” 

So how is that possible, and what can the Celtics realistically expect? 

Availability is at the forefront of every analysis of George’s game. With 16 back-to-backs, we already know the maximum games he’ll play this season is 66, and that's without any injuries. It’s very likely he’ll hurt something, and when he does, the Celtics will be ultra-cautious with his recovery. We can expect Kristaps Porzingis-like kid gloves with George, so we can forget about him “playing through” much of anything. 

That might mean a season with games played landing somewhere in the 50’s, and for the first time since his first two seasons in the league, less than 30 minutes played per game. The Celtics have the depth to handle that, so it’s not the biggest issue in the world, but it’s important to set the expectation. The Celtics are going to do everything they can to get him into the postseason fresh and healthy, hoping they can get the version of him that killed the Celtics in the playoffs last season. 

That version of him was pretty good, and it does suggest that there are areas he can help. According to Synergy Sports, George scored 1.173 points per possession (PPP) last season compared to Brown’s .909. George was also excellent in isolation, scoring 1.045 PPP to Brown’s 0.996. 

Most importantly, George was in the 92nd percentile in spot-ups, at 1.246 PPP. It made up the biggest percentage of his offense. Brown only spotted up 14% of the time and his 1 PPP was only in the 46th percentile. This is mostly because George is a better shooter than Brown. George shot 39.2% from three last season and is a 38.4% three-point shooter. Brown shot 34.7%, and is at 35.8% for his career. 

Brown had to be a different player for the Celtics last season, and asking him to go to more of a spot-up role this season might have been asking too much for a star in his prime after his best season. George, for however long he is here, actually does the few things the Celtics will need him to do. The Celtics made a decision to go with Tatum as their lone star, so they needed someone to play a certain role. George can actually do that. 

George’s season will probably involve a lot of catching and shooting, but he can still flow into a pick-and-roll or isolate when he needs to and be very effective at it. He’s not the All-Defensive team player that he used to be, but he can still get down and defend in important moments. 

Will he be a game-changer? No. Is he Jaylen Brown? Nope, not even close. But can he be effective on the floor in the minutes that he plays? 

Yes, he can.