Let’s go over the numbers: 17.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game on 49% from the field and 55% (!) from three. Those are the stats that Paul George averaged in the Celtics-76ers first round series this past season. Now, those percentages won’t hold up over a regular season and his age and injury concerns are real, but the Celtics are getting a good player in Paul George.
He isn’t better than Jaylen Brown and the rest of the return does feel like it is lacking. However, when he is on the floor, George remains a good player.
An elite three-point shooter, George shot 39% from three in the regular season last year and 49% in the playoffs. Sure, PG is overpaid (he has a year and a player option at $110.7 million left on his current deal) but he remains very high level 3 and D wing at this point in his career, who can still put the ball on the floor and get to his spots.
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His athleticism isn’t what it once was, but his silky-smooth scoring ability remains, as does his defensive prowess.
On the ball, he gave both Brown and Jayson Tatum a ton of problems in their playoff series and off of it, he doesn’t have the silly mistakes that Jaylen was susceptible to.
George is also an analytics darling, of which Brown is not.
(I feel it is important to note here that I am not implying that George is a better player than Brown by giving you these numbers, just that George is good.)
We do have to talk about the games played issue that has plagued George over the past few seasons. Since his trade to the Clippers in 2019, over the past seven seasons, five with the Clippers and two with the Sixers, George has played in 48, 54, 31, 56, 74, 41 and 37 games. That is 341 of 554 potential games, 62%.
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That certainly is not ideal and the Celtics are hoping George will remake his 2023-24 campaign when he played in 74 games but that seems like a stretch.
I think George’s fit with Jayson Tatum is also smoother than Brown’s was. George is a better off-ball player than Brown is with his three point shot being a big part of that. According to Second Spectrum, George shot 42% on catch-and-shoot threes a season ago, while shooting 34% on pull up threes last season (in the playoffs he shot 68% on pull up threes).
George is also someone who is still good at attacking closeouts. He doesn’t get to the rim at all, ranking in the 15th percentile of wings in rim rate, but he does get to the mid-range well to knock down some of those. You’d like to see some of those mid-range shots become threes, however.
No, Paul George is not a better player than Jaylen Brown is, but that doesn’t mean the Celtics are getting a bad player in this deal. If he is on the floor, and that is a big if, Paul George is going to help the Celtics win games next season.
