Tuesday marked the first day of a new chapter in Celtics history, when the team introduced Paul George and Mike Conley at the Auerbach Center in Brighton.
George entered the league as the 10th overall pick in 2010, and he’s played in 945 regular-season games and 125 playoff games, making nine All-Star teams along the way. Few active players in the NBA could top that kind of experience, but Conley is one of them, with 1,226 regular-season games and 120 playoff games under his belt after being selected fourth overall way back in 2007.
And while the city and the organization is obviously still transitioning out of the Jaylen Brown era, Tuesday’s introduction to George and Conley helped move the process along.
“These are two guys who have been in the league, have incredible legacies when it comes to the NBA, but neither has won a championship yet. And that was something that they each brought up themselves multiple times,” Abby Chin told Chris Forsberg on the latest Celtics Talk Podcast. “And there is no question a sense of urgency with both of those guys.”
Abby then shared her expectations for both George and Conley in the upcoming season while also sharing an outlook on Jayson Tatum.
Expectations for Paul George
“Coming off of this press conference, I’m expecting more from Paul George than I think I was initially,” Abby said. “I think Paul George is gonna bring a lot, and he expects himself to bring a lot.”
Abby added: “He’s saying all the right things. He’s also saying that he feels great physically. … As of late, all of his offseasons have been about rehab and getting back to health. Having that time off has allowed his body to heal naturally, and he feels ready to go and is — there is no question in my mind — motivated for this season.”
George has only averaged 49 games per season, but Forsberg shared that the veteran is setting a goal to simply be more available this coming season.
“I think that’s really refreshing. The guy wants to be out there,” Forsberg said. “And he’s still gotta balance it. He’s gotta make sure he’s the best version of himself when the games matter the most. If the Celtics get that playoff version of Paul George, though, it’s gonna be interesting to see. And his willingness to try to make everyone else around him better could be really good for this team.”
Expectations for Mike Conley
“The leadership,” Abby said. “Using his experience to kind of coach guys along as well. I think you get another coach out there on the floor. I think Joe Mazzulla is very excited to have a Mike Conley around, someone who can kind of be his guy on the floor directing traffic and just kind of explaining what he’s seeing and the decisions that he’s making, why he’s making them to help this team evolve.”
Expectations for Jayson Tatum
“I’m expecting a 100 percent Jayson Tatum. Are you not?” Abby said. “You can’t put a ceiling on Jayson. He has fulfilled any sort of expectation that anyone has put on him. If last season was the challenge to Jaylen Brown to step up and be the guy for this team, this is Jayson Tatum’s season. And I have absolutely no reason to doubt him.”
Forsberg anticipates that the team will still tread with caution when it comes to managing Tatum’s workload, but the potential for a monster season is clearly present.
“Look,” Forsberg said, “last time I saw him when he had two healthy legs, he was top four in MVP voting, he was averaging 30 points per game a couple of seasons before that.”
