The stink of the Boston Celtics losing to the Detroit Pistons on opening day overshadowed how phenomenally Paul George played in his first actual game as a Celtic. There was good reason to believe George was a better acquisition than most gave it credit for, but he exceeded even the optimists' highest expectations.
When watching his highlights, it's pretty clear George should not have any problems fitting in with Boston this season. Not only did he have a historic debut, but the last time the Celtics had a new acquisition play as well as he did in his first game with the team was Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis also left a pretty good impression in his first game with Boston, as he scored 30 points while also hitting the dagger against his former team. Any concerns about how he fit with the team were easily laid to rest, but that wasn't the biggest concern.
Everyone knew Porzingis was inevitably going to get hurt at some point. Even worse, it was likely going to be multiple times. He proved that notion correct during the regular season and postseason. George is under a similar umbrella.
It's not talent, but availability that's the problem
Like Porzingis, George also has a reputation for being injury-prone. In all fairness, it's not as bad as it looks, but it's still not good. He has an undeniable injury rap sheet that will definitely surface at some point.
Not that anyone is rooting for that, especially after a performance like that, but that's just what the Paul George experience is at this point. Like Porzingis, he is a ceiling raiser. When he's on the floor, he just showed how impactful he still is as a player on both sides of the ball. Hitting threes, creating his shot, forcing turnovers. Oh yeah, that's Prime PG-13.
It goes without saying that he probably won't put up the kind of stat lines he just did against Detroit, but it is a good omen that when the Celtics are going up against some of their best competition, George can step up when they need him to.
The only problem is that he will more than likely get hurt, likely for a somewhat extended time most optimistically. Luckily, Boston knew what they were getting into when they acquired him, just like they did when they acquired Porzingis back in 2023.
All that matters is that George is healthy when it matters most. Porzingis sort of did that during their run in Banner 18. If George can be even somewhat better in that regard, trading for him could be a home run.
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