Sports

Paul George’s First Comments As A Boston Celtic Show Why They Traded Jaylen Brown For Him

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September 15, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Paul George (13) looks on during a press conference at The Auerbach Center at Boston Landing. Apr 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts to his score against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

September 15, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Paul George (13) looks on during a press conference at The Auerbach Center at Boston Landing. Apr 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts to his score against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena.


When the Boston Celtics first traded All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for future Hall of Famer Paul George and a pair of first-round picks, fans of the team weren’t all that enthusiastic.

However, they may be coming around a bit after George’s introductory press conference on Tuesday, which seemed to win over Celtics fans across the internet.

That’s a far cry from where things were two months ago, when Boston fans harassed general manager Brad Stevens’ children on Instagram regarding the trade.

Sure, George isn’t the caliber of player he was at the peak of his career, and his health is a seemingly constant concern. But as he showed at times last year, he can still be a valuable player on a good team, and he seems to understand his new role in Boston.

Paul George Is Happy To Defer To Jayson Tatum In Boston

One of the biggest sources of controversy during Brown’s time in Boston surrounded the discussion of who was the team’s centerpiece: him or Jayson Tatum.

Fans and NBA media all seemed to agree it was Tatum. But while Brown didn’t outright say he disagreed with that assessment, the tension was palpable.

That won’t be an issue with George.

“We have a superstar and that’s JT,” George said during his intro presser. “I’m not here to necessarily steal the shine or try to reinvent who I am. I’m here to help JT, and he’s the guy. I’ve played alongside another superstar wing, and we coexisted beautifully.”

That other superstar wing that George was referring to is Kawhi Leonard, who he played alongside with the Los Angeles Clippers. And while the two never had a falling out, they also never made a deep playoff run.

But George seems happy to slot into a role as a support player for Tatum in Boston, and that was exactly what Celtics fans wanted to hear.

We’ll see how Celtics fans feel if George gets injured or doesn’t play up to the level they expect. But for the time being, it appears their view of the trade is much more positive now than it was when it first went down.