Paul George won't put up the same numbers with the Boston Celtics that he used to in his prime. If he was still that player, he'd still be with the Philadelphia 76ers. However, the backlash to acquiring George got out of hand a bit. He can't handle the same load he used to, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's completely out of his prime.
Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen were all still making All-Star teams in their mid-30s in Boston even while not being the players they once were. George is around that same age, and after proving he can swing playoff series like he did against the Celtics back in April, we shouldn't completely rule out him following in the Big 3's footsteps.
The notion of George potentially shutting up his doubters has come up. Many will point to both his age and his health issues for why he can't put up the same numbers he used to. The truth is, he can't put up prime PG numbers, but there's a solid case that the problem wasn't him. It was his awkward with Philadelphia.
George looked like one of the NBA's worst contracts in Philadelphia, but his age and injury issues overshadowed that he was a bad fit with the Sixers. George was supposed to be the third banana behind Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, but the lineup data shows they weren't great together.
Last year, the three of them played in 21 regular season games together, where they went 11-10, posting a net rating of plus-4. That's better than neutral but when those are your three best players, you expect better than that. It was actually worse the year before, as they played in 15 games together, where they went 7-8, and posted a net rating of minus-0.5.
All of this points to that George didn't fit well next to the Sixers' two best players and it makes some sense. Embiid and Maxey are ball-dominant players whose instincts are to score first. George can play more of a catch-and-shoot guy on offense, but it's clear they didn't get much out of him through this trategy.
In Boston, it projects to be different
Jayson Tatum is not cut from the same cloth as Embiid or Maxey. He is a star who can play both on and off the ball. His multi-facetedness doesn't get enough credit for how useful he is. There's a strong possibility that through his instincts as a scorer and playmaker that Tatum will depend on George more than the Sixers did.
And if George, whose three-point shooting and handle projects him to be a better it in Mazzulla Ball than Brown was, takes this role and runs with it, he might just play well enough to make another All-Star campaign,
Here's another comparison to think about: Al Horford. Remember when he came back to the Celtics? His first year back, he was in fact the only aspect about the team that wasn't frustrating, as he proved he had more juice left than many thought he did.
Here's a hot take: if Boston had played at the level they eventually did all season, he probably would have made a legitimate case as an All-Star. For that same reason, George could very well do the same. It might not be the same George who once finished top-five in MVP voting, but it could be good enough for him to get his All-Star appearances to double figits.
If you hope Paul George will be a superstar in Boston, you're going to be disappointed, but that doesn't mean him playing at an All-Star level is completely off the table.
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