**BOSTON —** When **Paul George** addressed how the 76ers stunned the Celtics behind 1-3 in their first round series in April, which set in motion the even more surprising **Jaylen Brown** trade that brought George to Boston, he turned to see a stone-faced **Joe Mazzulla** to his right.
“It was that time I had off,” George said. “It was almost like a dog being let off the leash. You’ve been chained up for so long, and the analogy there is just the limitations physically, and then to be healthy again. It just felt like I was able to do things, and quite frankly it might have caught Boston off-guard from an expectation that I can no longer move, but I was feeling good. I felt I was able to do all the things out there to gain an advantage and be a weapon.”
George described the challenges associated with only being able to log an average of 48 games per year over the past five seasons between Los Angeles and Philadelphia. He said this is the first summer in years that he spent training in full, rather than rehabbing. That could alter both season outlook and perception around an unpopular trade that stemmed from George’s struggles and injuries as much as Brown’s popularity in Boston.
The NBA suspended George for 25 games earlier this year due to a drug that George said he took to address mental health struggles. Physical injuries took a toll on him mentally, too, he said on Tuesday alongside **Mike Conley**, **Joe Mazzulla** and **Brad Stevens**. New center **Mitchell Robinson** did not attend the introduction due to a personal matter after spending recent days in Boston with his new teammates. Stevens described a real presence in the building between the two long-time stars in George and Conley, and Robinson’s recent championship pedigree and massive size.
“I feel great, I feel really good physically,” George said. “I’ve worked hard this summer. My body has naturally just healed, the time I took off leading up to coming back with Philly, my body was in such a different place then going into the summer, really was a chance to continue to work and strengthen my body, strengthen my knee. It’s almost like a rebirth … to be in a system, be in a winning culture, a winning environment and to feel good, to be able to work. I was able to train again in the summer … a lot went into coming into Boston with a different mindset, different mentality … a lot of this just comes naturally. You come into this building and it just hits you. You’re here to work. You’re here to get better.”
**Jayson Tatum**, George and teammates began the process of learning each other’s games in Los Angeles during several offseason runs that **Payton Pritchard** first described on _The Garden Report_. George said he doesn’t want to steal from Tatum’s role as the Celtics’ superstar, affirming that the team only has one. That ability to play a more complementary role went into the Brown-George swap, which Stevens explained in part through Tatum and Brown’s combined usage alongside their pair of super-max salaries.
September 15, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Paul George (13) speaks during a press conference at The Auerbach Center at Boston Landing. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Conley, who stressed the urgency that he and George bring as veterans without championships, affirmed he’s also in a position to produce on the floor. He joined the Celtics to play for a flagship NBA franchise for the first time in his career, and found a situation where he and George can impact numerous younger players on the roster. Many, **Ron Harper Jr.** and his brother Dylan, watched and looked up to George during his time as a star with the Pacers, Thunder and Clippers, while Pritchard already began the process of learning from Conley in recent months.
As for George, who acknowledged the validity feelings fans hold toward him stemming from the Brown, he’ll take a different approach from the former Celtics star. One that allows the team to utilize its depth and that lets the system maximize his skills, which he mentioned could help in areas as small as screens and unselfish cuts.
“Given what JB stood for and what he brought, and the history, he was part of raising a banner and winning a championship here. That’s going to forever stick,” George said. “But it’s a new group. It’s a new opportunity and I think they’re getting someone that’s ready to not fill the shoes or fill the void of JB, but I think from a personal standpoint myself, I think I can come in and still keep us in that contention and give us a chance to win.”