Brad Stevens praises Paul George’s basketball IQ, fit with Celtics

Brad Stevens praises Paul George’s basketball IQ, fit with Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

One of the biggest X-factors for the Boston Celtics in the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season will be Paul George.

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The veteran forward was acquired by the Celtics as part of the controversial Jaylen Brown trade with the Philadelphia 76ers back in July.

George is older and not as talented as Brown, but he should still be a productive player for the C’s.

In the latest episode of team-produced show Beneath the Banners, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens explained why he thinks George will be a good fit in Boston.

“Paul’s a really good player,” Stevens said. “He’s been a really good player for a long time. He’s one of the more impactful players with regard to winning, even as he’s aged in the NBA. We just think he’s a good fit for how we play, and I think the other part about Paul is he’s very smart.

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“He has a good feel for the game; he’s got a good savvy to him about the game, and I think that fits in with the rest of our lineup.”

George averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for the Sixers last season, while shooting 39.2 percent from the 3-point line. He also impressed in the 2026 playoffs, especially in the seven-game series against the Celtics. George averaged 17.4 points per game and shot 55 percent on 3-pointers versus the C’s.

The concern with George is availability. He has battled injuries throughout his career. He played in just 37 games last season (also served a 25-game suspension) and 41 games in 2024-25. George has played 60-plus games in a season only once (2023-24) since 2019.

But if healthy, George can absolutely be a difference maker for the Celtics.

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He’s still a good outside shooter, he’s still a quality perimeter defender. He’s a smart player, he can play/defend multiple positions, and he brings tons of experience. George isn’t an All-NBA caliber player at this stage of his career, but his impact on winning can still be pretty high.

And he sounds pretty excited to get going with his new teammates.

“It’s surreal,” George said on…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/brad-stevens-praises-paul-georges-155526689.html

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Publish date : 2026-08-17 15:55:00

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