Paul George isn't the exciting addition he would have been 10 years ago, but any Boston Celtics fan should know from their playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers that he is still a valuable piece in the postseason. That should also sound familiar because Paul Pierce followed a similar path after the Celtics traded him in 2013.
Now, we all know that Boston trading Pierce and Kevin Garnett turned into one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history, as neither of them were among the NBA's elites anymore. What many forget is that Pierce had transitioned into being a high-impact player as he entered the twilight of his NBA career.
Because it didn't amount to much, many forget how good Pierce was as a complementary player for Brooklyn and Washington in the mid-2010s. Pierce wasn't "The Truth" at his peak, but that doesn't mean he wasn't useful.
Even in his lone year in Brooklyn, Pierce was a game-changer on that team.
Pierce was not what he was, but he did his part. It's not his fault Brooklyn's designated best players weren't as good as they thought they were. In Washington, Pierce kept it up, and even if the results weren't too different, the Wizards fanbase has pretty fond memories of him.
In fact, they would probably be fonder if it weren't for another fellow Celtics legend who goes by the name of Al Horford, who stopped them in their tracks at the very last second.
Pierce and George are different players, but George will be relegated to a role similar to that of Pierce. He proved in that series how good he can be when he is tasked with being a 3&D wing who can still create his own shot when asked.
George didn't keep that up against New York in the next series, but that may say more about the Knicks than it does about him.
Boston faces a dilemma similar to Brooklyn & Washington back then
The Nets and Wizards not capitalizing as much as they would have liked with Pierce is a good example to Boston that while George can still do a lot, his high albeit limited impact will challenge the rest of the roster to hold their own.
With Pierce, Brooklyn was good with him while Washington was really good with him, but not great. We'll have to see how Boston compares now to those rosters then with George taking a similar role that Pierce took over a decade prior.
The Celtics are betting big that Mazzulla Ball will make up for Brown's absence, with George being only one of the factors in that. George may very well be a picture-perfect fit even in his mid-30s, like Pierce was on those teams, and it may not matter if the rest of the roster doesn't do their part.
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