Four things to know about Paul George, the player return for the Celtics in Jaylen Brown trade
The Celtics and 76ers pulled off a blockbuster deal on Wednesday, with Jaylen Brown heading to Philadelphia in return for one high-profile player and several draft picks.
The player heading Boston’s way is none other than Paul George, who was second on the 76ers in scoring during their first-round playoff series comeback win against Brown and the Celtics in April.
George, 36, is a noted NBA figure in his own right.
Here are a few things to know about the reported newest Celtic:
He’s a nine-time All-Star with numerous accolades
George has been in the league since he was taken 10th overall by the Pacers in the 2010 NBA Draft. In his 16 seasons, George has averaged 20.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
He’s made nine NBA All-Star Teams, six All-NBA Teams, and four NBA All-Defensive Teams, consistently showing himself to be in the league’s upper echelons.
George also won the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award in 2013, and helped the United States win a basketball gold medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Despite success, he’s never been to the NBA Finals
George has been in the postseason frequently as a player, featuring in 21 series across 12 different trips to the playoffs.
Yet even with his experience at the highest level, George has never fully broken through. His teams are 9-12 in playoff series, and despite reaching both the Eastern and Western Conference Finals, he has never been able to get past that hurdle into a NBA Finals.
Granted, that’s a high bar — most players never get to a Finals — yet the outgoing Brown will arrive in Philadelphia with more experience and more wins in the postseason despite being seven years younger (and Brown has also won not only a title, but a Finals MVP).
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Durability has become an issue
Aside from having to fight his way back from a gruesome 2014 injury (a compound fracture of both bones in his lower right leg) suffered during a Team USA scrimmage, George was fairly consistent in his durability over the first nine years of his career.
But since 2019-20, he has only managed one season in which he played more than 56 regular season games.
True, part of that was impacted by last year’s 25-game suspension due to a failed drug test (which George blamed on a mental health issue). Yet even removing that from the equation, the injuries have piled up in recent years.
He was already involved in one of the most consequential trades in recent NBA history
While George is once again at the center of the basketball world due to his involvement in the reported Brown trade, it’s not the first time he’s been in the middle of a blockbuster deal.
On July 10, 2019, George was dealt by the Thunder to the Clippers, along with a first-round pick, in exchange for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, and two pick-swaps.
Obviously, Gilgeous-Alexander went on to become a superstar, winning back-to-back NBA MVPs and leading Oklahoma City to the 2025 NBA title. The draft picks helped supplement the Thunder’s rebuilding effort, the last of which is actually still owed in 2027.
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