Paul George Reintroduced the All-Star Version of Himself in First Game As a Celtic

DETROIT — Paul George silently walked onto the court to get loose for his Celtics debut. Just ahead of his 17th NBA season where he’d play for his fifth different franchise, there were no nerves. Only music flowing through his big headphones, focused on a return to the All-Star version of himself as he plays second fiddle to Jayson Tatum.

Throughout Boston’s matinee opener against the Pistons, it was George who was the Celtics’ star. In the first half, he dropped 17 points as Boston took a double-digit lead into the break. He added 14 more in the third quarter as he went unconscious with the basketball in his hands, a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and 3-of-3 from three-point range as the lead ballooned to 22 points.

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From there, it all fell apart for the Celtics. Detroit went on a 23–0 run and the home fans got louder with each three-pointer by Duncan Robinson and Javonte Green, who caught fire themselves. The Pistons took control of the game and never looked back as Tatum struggled shooting, just 6-for-23 from the field and 0-for-7 from three on the night.

Despite the difficult loss, George was masterful as he finished with 38 points, five rebounds, five steals, three assists and knocked down seven threes. It was the most points by any Celtics player in their debut. He was on a whole other level, a great sign for a new-look team that aims to figure out how all of its pieces fit together.

“Just his comfort level,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said on what impressed him most about George’s performance. “The game found him, he made some great reads throughout the game. It was good. He was able to find advantages for himself and others, we just have to continue that.”

George, 36, ended up in Boston over the offseason through the massive trade that sent former Celtics star Jaylen Brown to the 76ers. He had an underwhelming (for his standards) two-year stint in Philadelphia after he signed a huge four-year, $211.6 million contract to join the Sixers during the 2024 offseason.

Over his time in Philly, he struggled with knee injuries and was hit with a 25-game suspension last season for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy by taking an improper medication. There were shades of the old Paul George when he was healthy and available, but he finished with his lowest scoring totals since his third season in the league when he first broke out as an All-Star with the Pacers. When all was said and done, he played in 78 games over the two seasons with the Sixers and looked like he was beginning a steep decline where his huge salary didn’t match up with the player he now was.

The Celtics bet on George because it gave the team optionality. The veteran scorer is under contract for one less season compared to Brown. But George also, in theory, gave Boston a secondary scorer to fill the void Brown left as the franchise pivoted into Tatum’s team first and foremost.

There’s other scorers around in Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, but George’s presence would raise the team’s floor and allow Mazzulla to be more fluid with his rotations. That only works if George is available, though. In the first test, he looked like the version of himself that everyone knows so well. A nine-time All-Star, one of the NBA’s better bucket-getters and someone who could catch fire any night. And health wise, he says he feels better than he ever did over his stop with the Sixers.

“I would say my stint in L.A.,” George said after Tuesday’s opener when asked by SBNation’s Noa Dalzell about the last time he felt this healthy. “I was pretty healthy to finish my last year there [with the Clippers], and then, honestly, going to Philly I just had a bad hyperextension that really set me back and I couldn’t quite shake that one.

“It was an ongoing thing of my leg, my knee not feeling strong. It was rough because I was trying to rest but I was also trying to be available for the team. I just couldn’t quite find the time to let it all come together so here, I’m feeling a lot better.”

Over George’s five-year run with the Clippers, he didn’t finish a single season under 20 points per game. He dealt with injury bouts there, too. Most notably a torn UCL in 2021–22 that held him to just 31 games that season. But his final two seasons in Los Angeles resulted in two All-Star appearances, which led to the huge contract from Philly once he hit free agency. That stop clearly didn’t go how he or the team had hoped.

Through just one game in his latest stop, he proved he still has plenty left in the tank. He didn’t hit a wall and begin a sharp descent, no matter how difficult the past two years may have been. Paul George the All-Star is still there and the Celtics may just bring it out of him.

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