Paul George has definitely surpassed expectations since he started his tenure with the Boston Celtics, even if a certain someone thought he was going to be better than people thought. However, the biggest concern was actually not what he was capable of, but his availability.
George is injury-prone, and he's in his mid-30s. The last time the Celtics had a player as useful as he is at that age was Al Horford. When Boston brought him back, he played every game he could in his first season of his second stint with Boston, but after that, the team rested him on back-to-backs to conserve him for the playoffs.
Because the strategy proved to be effective, as Horford's impact shined through every year, the common consensus was that George would be put on the same plan. However, the Celtics revealed their injury report, confirming that only Devin Carter and Derrick White were on it, while inadvertently confirming that George had no restrictions.
For the time being, this means Boston doesn't view George as the same health risk Horford was at the time. Maybe it's because George simply looked better than Horford did when he was around the same age in 2022, but this is definitely a twist that no one saw coming.
Keep in mind that this could change
Even if Boston thinks George can still manage to play an entire season, an injury feels on his end still feels inevitable because of his reputation. No one wants that to happen, but many are bracing for it. What makes that easier is knowing the Celtics' wing rotation is deep enough that they wouldn't have to worry too much if George goes down at some point.
What also should keep everyone on their toes is that man, the injury bug, has not held back in the league this year. A lot of good players are suffering serious injuries from the jump. Jalen Williams, Kawhi Leonard, Jaren Jackson Jr., Paolo Banchero, and now we have Anthony Edwards out for the next few months.
Hence why everyone is concerned about George. He's already proven how valuable he can be, whether he's hitting his shots or not. That further fuels why many believe it's in their best interest to put George on the Horford plan.
Look, we mustn't act like we know something the Celtics don't. They knew who they were getting with George. If they think this is the best call, everyone should comply with it, but if it backfires, it's going to be hard not to get mad at how it could have been prevented if and when it does.
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