"I'm Ready. I Feel This Is The Timing For Me. I'm All In." - It's Hard Not To Be Excited After Hearing Paul George At His Celtics Introductory Press Conference
Despite the Paul George trade happening way back on July 1st, we had to wait until today for the official introductory press conference which I can't lie, was pretty weird. Were they maybe calling around and seeing what other potential deals may be out there? Did they learn that someone like Steph Curry or Jokic wasn't an actual possibility, so they could then finally move forward with the introductory presser since they'd need George's salary to make those trades work? Who knows.
What I do know is that once we got this little snippet of George working out yesterday, I was very eager for today's presser
If we're being honest, Paul George being a Celtic is still pretty surreal, even though that's been the case for a few months now. Despite the fact that he looked great in that clip, it'll probably take my brain a little while to get used to seeing him in Celtics green.
While I was also interested in hearing from Mike Conley and was bummed that Mitchell Robinson had to miss the presser for personal reasons, the story for me today is obviously Paul George. How could it not be? You could make the case that a big factor in the upcoming season will come down to what version of George the Celts get and how he fits into this system. Will he back up what the sheets say? Will things fit the way all the signs point to them fitting? That's what we're about to find out.
But before we get there, I thought a few aspects of today's presser were pretty interesting
Let's start here. Given the magnitude of the trade, I was pretty happy with how George answered these questions and not only addressed things head on, but didn't give any sort of bullshit PR answer. That sounded like a guy who gets it. Of course there was going to be shock, anger, resentment, confusion etc when that trade first happened, and George acknowledging that fans were right to feel the way they did felt like a good way to break the ice. That alone I think should help his overall perception from the fanbase.
The fact of the matter is, I think it's pretty lame if you find yourself hating on Paul George or already rooting for him to fail just because you may have disliked the trade. You can look around and see that among some Cs fans, and I think that's pretty sad. You won't find a bigger Jaylen guy than me. I didn't love the trade when it was initially announced, but openly rooting for George's demise just because of the trade will never make sense to me.
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I do think it was important that George addressed all of that during the presser, and I thought his answer was perfect. Good start.
Up next, the second biggest factor. Health.
Look, there's no way of getting around the George injury issues these last few years. You look at the games played since the weird Covid seasons, and it's not exactly great
2021-22: 31 games played
2022-23: 56 games played
2023-24: 74 games played
2024-25: 41 games played
2025-26: 37 games played
Obviously, last season also included the suspension, but overall, I think it's fair to say George's health has been a major issue for most of this decade. I will say that last year in LA was the last time he wore #13 (made All Star), and I certainly am not going to hold being on the Sixers against them. Just because it didn't work there doesn't mean it can't work in Boston. Remember, the Sixers couldn't even figure out how to use Al Horford. Now that George is back to wearing #13 and is talking about how this is the best he's felt in years and he's ready to roll, I'm optimistic.
Given that he's going to be playing a supporting role and won't be asked to carry as a #1, I'm optimistic that a reduced usage role, while also putting him on the Horford maintenance plan should help keep him on the floor, especially since he's had a full offseason to get ready.
Now how about his fit with Tatum? Another great answer
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I for one cannot wait to see a healthy Paul George play next to Tatum. The way their skillsets intertwine is very exciting. The way George can pass, his ability to be an elite off ball shooter, the defense, I do think the ceiling of that pairing is pretty high for as long as their on the court together.
But this answer also helped illustrate the era we are now entering. Welcome to the Jayson Tatum era. While he was always their best player, this is the first time he's going to be the sole high usage player, something that you see other superstars have on their own teams. Everything comes down to him now. The success and the blame. Everything in terms of how they will play, the roster construction all of it comes down to one thing
Maximizing Jayson Tatum.
He's been given the keys (and he looks great btw)
and we enter a world where there's no competition for the top spot, no hierarchy stuff, none of that. George is comfortable being that #2/#3 option and has the skillset to maximize that role, and I do think how he answered that question will also help win over the fanbase. Especially for those who always felt Jaylen Brown maybe couldn't have that same mental approach. Personally I never really felt that was an issue, but I understand why others may have. Now, that's completely out the window as we enter the new season.
I also loved his approach to now playing for a team that has title or bust expectations pretty much every year and how that factors into his own journey to finally secure his first ring
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Unfortunately, that was George's first mistake as a Celtic. The Lakers wish they were tied with 18th banners. In fact, Brad Stevens is right when he says Mike Zarren would say they trail by 6. 18 > 12.
When it came to Mike Conley, I did enjoy this moment when he called Joe crazy, only for Joe to immediately give him a death stare, that was good stuff
All in all, I'd be lying if I said that after watching the clip yesterday and then this presser today that I'm not extremely excited to see how this all shakes out. It was definitely surreal to see George at the podium and talking about being a Celtic, and now we move. Now that all the non-basketball stuff is out of the way, we can finally turn the page to what matters, which is their play on the court.
Next up? The first preseason game against the Cavs on October 8th. After what has seemed like an endless offseason, we're finally getting close. Thank god.