His talent quickly turned him into a role model for many of the league’s current stars, including now-Celtic teammate Jayson Tatum, who even tabbed himself “Baby PG” on social media during his junior year at Chaminade College Prep.
“Somebody that I’ve obviously admired for a very, very long time, when I was in high school and college and competing against him,” Tatum said of George. “It’s surreal because I was in high school modeling my game after him and watching film of him when I was in high school and college. I had to be the first player in college to wear PG 1 [sneakers]. Just being able to be his teammate and learn from him, him taking the role of being a mentor and assistance for other guys is good to be a part of.”
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The admiration for George is refreshing and energizing because it’s been a difficult past few years. His two-year stint in Philadelphia was mostly a failure, as injuries derailed any chance for the 76ers to compete in 2024-25 and last season was frustrating as George had just begun to feel healthy before being slapped with a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s drug policy.
George said the substance he digested was for a “mental health issue.” He opened up about his vulnerabilities, acknowledging he wasn’t immune to doubts, insecurities, or regrets.
Ever since George demanded a trade from Indiana in 2017 to a potential championship contender, pressure has been on the gifted forward to produce personal and team greatness. And while he has made the All-Star team five times since that trade, team success has eluded him and George has faced criticism.
He was a dynamic pair with Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City but the Thunder lost in the first round of the playoffs both years. Kawhi Leonard then demanded the Clippers acquire George as a condition to sign with Los Angeles as a free agent.
In their five seasons together, the Clippers reached the conference finals just once, and they also blew a 3-1 semifinal lead in 2020. George wore the reputation of being a gifted player unable to lead his team to prosperity. That label was damaging. The criticism, especially from former players, was piercing.
“I think guys would be lying if they say the pressure [doesn’t impact them],” George told the Globe. “It does bother you at times. It does affect you at times. But you got to believe in yourself. That’s where you really test your strength. If you can overcome that and focus on what you can control, and just understand, life has its ways of humbling you. It has its ways of teaching you. And if you’re not prepared to be taught and take the lessons from those moments, then you won’t prepare when it’s time to really perform.
“I feel like I’ve gone through all of those tests. It definitely humbled me the last two years, and it also just showed true colors. Because it’s coming from guys that [at age] 36, what did they look like? Year 17 in the NBA, what did they look like? So I take all of that with a grain of salt. I’m still being able to do this. I’m still able to do what I love, and hopefully all of that is behind me, and I’m at a point where I can contend for NBA championship.”
Enter the Celtics, who acquired George from the 76ers not only because his contract number matched Jaylen Brown’s but was a year shorter, but because he showed Boston how much he had left in that splendid playoff series last season. Rejuvenated after his suspension, George in that seven-game series averaged 17.4 points on 55 percent 3- point shooting and 61.4 percent effective field goal percentage, by far the best of any of his 21 career playoff series.
That stretch of basketball combined with George’s desire to play a complementary role to Tatum and finally feeling healthy has the Celtics excited about his potential on offense and defense. George views this opportunity in Boston and perhaps his last and best chance to win a championship.
The Celtics have offered George a chance for comfort and he fully intends to take advantage.
“This locker room, the culture here, the front office, the city, the organization, the tradition, all of that is something that I’ve never been a part of,” George said. “Where everything is high quality. For me, it’s refreshing. Hopefully, I can remain healthy. I think I became a journeyman along the way [of my career]. At this point, I would love to be able to call Boston home.
“I’m fully immersing myself into this organization with the guys. I’ve been more than happy. I’m ecstatic with being here, being around these guys, like they brought something else out of me that to be quite frank has been buried, and that’s just a different passion. There’s a love again for this game, and I just think everything is kind of just aligning at the right time for me here.”
He feels wanted here, not tabbed an overpaid asset, not criticized because he wasn’t effective playing at less than 100 percent. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla has a knack for revitalizing careers and bringing the best out of players who may have leveled off in other situations. George said he is embracing the challenge of learning Mazzulla’s complicated schemes, pushing himself to be more durable and reliable, hoping this is where he is most appreciated and more productive.
“The one thing that I’ve relied on is and what I’ve been [discussing with] my therapist is gratitude,” George said. “Gratitude came up a lot in our conversations. Understanding where I’ve been in my career, and understanding where I’m at in my career. And just having gratitude to be thankful for every time I touch the floor. All the noise, all the people talking … being thankful for the opportunity is ultimately what kind of drowns that out, right?
“Because a lot of people don’t get this opportunity. A lot of people are in my position, and I think for young guys, take advantage of that. Being in the moment, being present, being appreciative of the opportunity, and I think realizing what you’re here to do, keeping the main thing, the main thing. That’s the best way I can describe it.”
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.