Paul George Injury Update: New Boston Celtics Gives Health Update Ahead Of Season Opener
Paul George told reporters at his introductory Boston Celtics press conference that he has moved past the injuries that limited him in recent years, calling himself fully healthy ahead of training camp.
Paul George says he's fit and ready to prove it in Boston. The nine-time All-Star faced reporters this week at his introductory Celtics press conference, and the health update he gave left little room for doubt.
George arrived north as part of the trade that sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia, a deal plenty of Celtics fans still haven't made peace with. George shared that he isn't running from that. He's using it as motivation heading into a season where Boston needs him on the floor, not on the trainer's table.
Latest on Paul George's health
Paul George stood at the Auerbach Center on Tuesday, and the question hanging over the room had nothing to do with role or fit. It was about his body, and whether it can hold up.
"I feel great again. I feel like I've turned a corner," George said, describing where he stands physically as training camp approaches.
George dealt with injury setbacks for years during his stretch with the Los Angeles Clippers, and last season brought knee surgery on top of everything else before Philadelphia shipped him out in the offseason's biggest deal.Â
He has clearly lost a step athletically even on his healthiest days, and Boston knows it. Still, the front office is banking on a version of George who plays more than 60 games, knocks down shots at a high clip from three, and gives Jayson Tatum a reliable running mate come playoff time.Â
When George was on the floor against the Celtics last spring, he outplayed Brown across a tough playoff series and helped Philadelphia claw back from a 3-1 hole, so the talent clearly hasn't disappeared. Boston just needs his body to cooperate.
Paul George explains his new Boston Celtics role
George also addressed the elephant in the room: the fact that a lot of Celtics fans wanted no part of this trade.
"I understand my circumstances. I understand how huge JB was," George said, before adding that fans are entitled to feel however they want about losing a player who helped raise a championship banner in Boston.
He isn't trying to replace Brown, and he said as much. Instead, George framed his job as adding something of his own, veteran defense on the perimeter, secondary playmaking, and reliable shooting off the catch, to a roster already built around Tatum.
He joins Boston alongside fellow newcomers Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley, part of president of basketball operations Brad Stevens' push to reload around Tatum as he returns from a torn Achilles.Â
The Boston Celtics will begin their 2026-27 NBA regular-season campaign against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.