Look, nobody in Boston was thrilled when the Celtics traded Jaylen Brown. This was a beloved homegrown star, the guy who helped win a title, swapped to a division rival for Paul George and some draft picks. It felt like a step backward, especially watching the Knicks win the championship last season. But Brad Stevens didn’t make that move just to take a step back.
There’s actually a specific reason this trade might work out better than fans expect. And it starts with how George has played against the defending champs recently.
The numbers are worth a second look. Over his last 10 games against New York, including the 76ers’ second-round series, George averaged 16.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 steals. He shot 41.7 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from three. Those are solid winning numbers against a team that just won it all.
Brown’s splits against the Knicks over the same stretch? 22.5 points, 5.5 boards, 4.3 dimes, 0.8 steals. Fine numbers. But the shooting tells a different story: 44.4 percent overall and just 28.1 percent from deep. That’s a significant drop from his career averages. The Knicks defense bothered him.
George won’t be asked to carry the scoring load in Boston the way Brown was. The Celtics have Jayson Tatum. They’re banking on growth from Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. They added Mike Conley Jr. for veteran ballhandling and Mitchell Robinson to protect the rim against Karl-Anthony Towns. George’s role is more as a high-level connector who can spot up and defend.
So his efficiency numbers against a top-tier defensive team like the Knicks matter more than his raw scoring. He’s not going to take 18 shots a night in Boston. He might take 12 or 13. If he hits threes at 42 percent against New York while playing smart team defense, that’s a win for the Celtics’ lineup.
Stevens is taking a calculated risk. He ended the Tatum-Brown era after nine years because he saw the ceiling. They blew a 3-1 lead in the first round of the playoffs. Tatum was injured, sure, but the league doesn’t award participation trophies. Changes had to come.
The Eastern Conference is loading up. Cleveland made moves. Miami is always lurking. Philly just added Brown. The Celtics needed a different look, not necessarily a better one on paper, but one that fits differently around Tatum.
Brown, by the way, still seems weirded out by it all. He said facing the Celtics at TD Garden as a visitor is going to feel strange. His quote: “My brain is like, ‘Philly? Of all places? Why would you do that?'” That sums up how most Celtics fans felt too.
But Stevens is betting the answer becomes clear when George knocks down a few threes against New York in January, and the Celtics look deeper, more versatile, harder to game plan against. It might not be the trade anyone wanted. It might be the one that works.
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