Many were skeptical when the Boston Celtics brought Paul George in this summer, but he's made pretty much every single one of his doubters eat their words. Yeah, he fits Mazzulla Ball to a tee, but George himself revealed what's been the secret to his success: health.
After the Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers the other night, he revealed during his post-game exclusive interview with NBC that what's changed for him compared to the last two seasons is that he is finally healthy. Take that for what you will, but the results speak for themselves.
We will see if he can keep this up for an entire season. Boston has been somewhat conservative with him on back-to-backs. They have the depth to withstand that, and more importantly, they want this resurgent George to be there whenever he plays.
Let's get back to the doubts. George did look washed up in Philadelphia, and he says it's because he was unhealthy. You know who many also think is washed up because he, too, is dealing with injuries? Bradley Beal.
That's right, Celtics fans, we're bringing this up again. Beal has strong ties to Tatum, and he's fallen on hard times. However, he's still only two seasons removed from putting up 17 points per game on nearly 50/39/80 splits.
Yes, his numbers tailspinned last year, his season got cut short, and he's not getting healthier, but hey, George also went through similar troubles like that, and look where he is now. If the opportunity presents itself, Boston could give Beal a flyer.
That is, if and when he gets a clean bill of health.
It may be a while before Beal gets healthy again
Before I continue, let the record show that Boston has little reason to do this now. They have been a two-way force, which has led to a dominant start. There isn't really a whole lot of pressing issues for a team that's 10-2. Sure, there's room for improvement, but that's more internal.
Plus, the only scenario where this would be acceptable for the Celtics is if Beal is not only healthy but can be had for chump change. In other words, if he gets bought out. More than that, it would also need to be abundantly clear that they need a pure scorer like him.
Lots of variables are at play here. Earlier today, Tyronn Lue did not have the most promising update on Beal, telling reporters that his knee has been acting up. So, Beal might need some time before he's ready to play.
If Boston added him, it would more or less be for the same reason they added George: they would think his health issues are very much behind him.
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