In the year 2026, the Boston Celtics adding Paul George and Mitchell Robinson doesn't sound all that exciting from a talent perspective. From a fit perspective, it's very exciting to think about what they could do for Mazzulla Ball. The downside isn't actually what they can't do from a talent perspective, but their injury concerns.
George and Robinson have reputations for being injury-prone. George's is a little deceptive because while he did play 37 games regular season games, he was suspended for 25 of the 45 games he missed last season. Robinson is coming off a reasonably healthy campaign, but a lot of that was because New York conserved him enough in a backup role to prevent him from getting hurt.
It shouldn't be debatable whether Boston plans to conserve them - Paul George being on the Al Horford plan feels like a certainty even if nothing's confirmed that - but what makes this scary is the fact that the Celtics have depended on injury-prone players in recent years, and it's typically backfired despite their perfect fit into the system.
Robert Williams III
Boston took Timelord in 2018 knowing that he was a talented prospect whose only hangup was his inability to stay on the floor because he was injury-prone. Three years into his Celtics tenure, it was already blatantly obvious he was the Celtics' best big.
Bringing Horford back certainly made that subject debatable, but it didn't matter because not only were they awesome toether, but the two of them played a key role in why Boston was almost impossible to score on during that historical 2022 stretch.
But then that darn torn meniscus happened just before the playoffs started. Williams put himself on the riskest but fastest recovery possible to play when it mattered, but it was clear during the Celtics playoff run a.) how much they needed him and b.) he definitely wasn't himself.
If Williams had been healthy all the way through, Boston may have 19 banners instead of 18.
Malcolm Brogdon
The biggest shame about Brogdon's time in Boston was how quickly he was forgotten. One-year wonders do that, but it was pretty clear what Boston saw in him when they brought him in. The Celtics needed a third scorer next to the Jays, and it was clear Brogdon fit the part.
Not only was he another three-level scorer for the Celtics, but when the Jays were getting blanketed, he was right there to take advantage of how little pressure was on him. The talent was never the question for Brogdon. It was could he stay healthy for an entire title run? The answer was sadly, no.
After Brogdon planed an undeniable role in helping Boston get past Philadelphia, an elbow injury sapped his abilities against Miami, and he couldn't play.
The Celtics even tried to limit Brogdon as much as they could, and he still got hurt at the worst time. Even worse, it got worse after they traded him. He never came close to the healthy regular season he had in Boston, proving they were right to utilize him the way they did. Like Williams, it's hard not to look back and wonder if all it took to win a title was a healthy Brogdon.
Kristaps Porzingis
The irony about Porzingis is that everyone knew how injury-prone he was when Boston acquired him. It definitely didn't go away when he was a Celtic, but the real problem was when he had POTS. Anyway, Porzingis turned the Celtics into one of the most unstoppable teams of the decade when he was on the floor, proving himself to be arguably a better safety valve than Brogdon was.
Even better was that Horford was right there in case Porzingis ever got hurt. That proved to be quite essential, as Porzingis did get hurt during their title run. Twice, in fact. He definitely left his mark when he played, but those moments were few and far between.
Luckily, Boston survived, but it's frustrating to know his issues really kept him from showing Boston what he could have done in the postseason. But you get what you pay for.
No one's saying George and Robinson will have the same fate as Celtics, but their recent history should make everyone just a tad worried about how those two will hold up, especially when it's time for the Celtics to get serious.
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