As summer turns to fall and NBA training camps near, the Boston Celtics aren't waiting until media day to introduce their veteran additions.
Paul George, Mike Conley, and Mitchell Robinson will meet with the media on Tuesday, Sep. 15. Head coach Joe Mazzulla and the team's president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens, will join them. The event will take place at 1:30 PM ET at the Auerbach Center.
As the trio builds relationships within their new organization, Mazzulla visited Robinson in Nashville this offseason. Conley and George have been among a Celtics contingent to work out together in Los Angeles.
Now, there's a chance to hear from them about taking their talents to Boston, a particularly interesting subject for Robinson, who just helped the New York Knicks lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Will Mitchell Robinson start for the Celtics?
According to Keith Smith of Spotrac, the initial plan is for him to come off the bench. The seven-foot center has already proven productive in that role.
Last season, while coming off the bench in the Big Apple, Robinson averaged 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and nearly 1.0 steals per contest. He did so while logging less than 20 minutes of floor time. He also generated 2.1 deflections per tilt. And he reinforced why he's as impactful as they come on the offensive glass.
Celtics land their Center. Among the 175 players who have played 10k minutes since Robinson was drafted, no one has snagged more offensive rebounds on a per-minute basis https://t.co/5FjliakEAK pic.twitter.com/y6l0rra3HS
— ALL NBA Podcast (@ALLCITY_NBA) July 1, 2026
The concerns about Hack-a-Robinson are valid, but Neemias Queta played like a top-10 player at his position in the regular season. He hasn't done anything to lose his job, and Boston invested in him as well this summer.
The Celtics signed Queta to a four-year, $56 million contract extension. Rather than asking him to handle a shift to the second unit, it's best to keep him and Robinson in the roles they occupied last season. If change is required, it's easier to adjust from there.
Why Paul George should thrive with the Celtics
It would have been difficult for the former Philadelphia 76er to find a better landing spot this offseason. He is an outstanding fit in Mazzulla's system.
Offensively, like Conley, he does an excellent job taking care of the basketball. He's also a lethal catch-and-shoot option from beyond the arc. Tatum should love kicking it out to an individual who knocked down 41.7 percent of the 4.5 catch-and-shoot 3s he launched last season, per NBA Stats.
George also remains a productive isolation scorer. And he's an underrated facilitator. He should fit like a glove in Boston's offense.
On the other side of the ball, he demonstrated in the playoffs how effective he can be when his legs are fresh enough. As the first-round rivalry clash between the Celtics and Sixers progressed, he did an excellent job of making life difficult for Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The Celtics will have a plan to manage George in hopes of getting the most out of him. They have plenty of talented young wings to help pace him. And for the first time in his career, he's simply being asked to excel as a role player. If he stays healthy, he should have no problem fulfilling that request.
What role will Mike Conley have with the Celtics?
The former All-Star gives Boston another layer of depth at point guard. It's comforting to have a reliable ball handler and turnover-suppressor behind players like Derrick White and Payton Pritchard.
Boston won't tax him too heavily, though. He's about to become the 14th player in NBA history to reach his 20th season. Instead, the team will likely lean more on having multiple wings on the floor, with at least one of White and Pritchard typically on the floor.
The C's have an abundance of options, like Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and Ron Harper Jr., who can provide some form of offensive creation. Gonzalez is more of a connector than an initiator, but that's valuable. And it's another example of his ability to mesh well alongside individuals like Jayson Tatum, who will have the highest usage rate on the roster, and Paul George.
So, rather than asking Conley, who turns 39 in October, to function as Boston's go-to backup at point guard or log more minutes than he should, expect him to average around 15 per appearance. He's a dependable veteran who can help Joe Mazzulla manage his rotation at that position throughout the course of a contest. He's also a highly respected locker room presence and resource for his new teammates, like Pritchard.
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