Why Paul George has been a major question on these boards. While we do not know the other offers the Celtics received, and who the other salaries included were, obviously they existed. With draft picks that are underwhelming (although I would argue we are misevaluating the 2028 pick, and may start a separate thread on that), why would the Celtics have picked Paul George from all the other overpaid players they were certainly offered?
Firstly, he fits the Celtics well. He plays the same position as JB. He is a better 3-point shooter, which, like it or not, is clearly something the team values. He is an active defender on the wing. His 4.1 deflections per game last season was 8th in the NBA. This was something Joe talked about wanting to get more of last season, and while they did, their increase from 14.1 to 15.2 deflections per game only brought them from 29th to 25th in the league. JB only averaged 1.8 deflections per game. This is not to say PG13 is better than JB, but in some of the aspects that are stressed in the Celtics game plan, George is better than JB, and it is very possible that he was also superior to other players the Celtics might have been offered (assuming similar draft compensation).
And then there are the on/off analytics. Much has been written about them, but they deserve renewed emphasis here. Jaylen Brown has a negative career on/off rating. The Celtics, over his 10 years, have been 1.3 points per 100 possessions worse when he plays compared to when he does not. Over the last four seasons, it has been even worse, at negative 4.2. He has finished in negative territory in 7 of 10 seasons.
Paul George, meanwhile, has never once had a season in the red. 16 years, his team has always been better when he played (except one year with a 0 on/off). That has been true across four teams, 7 head coaches, years where he missed time due to injury, years he was healthy and playing every game, his rookie year off the bench, you name it. 16 seasons, and not once has he finished below 0, while JB has done it 7 times. PG13 has a career average of +7.4, something JB has exceeded only once in a season. George had a +4.4 on/off last year, and + 4.2 the year before, which would both be top-3 seasons for Jaylen. Even in his advanced age and diminished capacity, he has continued to have a positive impact on his teams.
It is very possible the Celtics came to the conclusion that Paul George would help them about as much as Jaylen Brown next year. Yes, George makes too much money for what he offers, but so did JB. But if the dollars are going to be the same this year and next year, and the on court impact the same, then the draft compensation looks good.
That does not mean the Celtics are not looking to move George. If they can find someone with a similar on-court impact for a smaller amount of money, then they will likely head that direction. But as it stands, the Celtics may view PG13 as something of a lateral on-court move, and so at shorter money and more draft assets, it was the move to make.
Topic: Welcome to Boston Paul George (Read 2060 times)