PaulGeorge

Preseason question: What can a 36-year-old Paul George bring to a contender? In his prime, George was an exclamation point of an athlete—all knifing drives and thunderous dunks, one of the greatest shows on hardwood. These days, he trades in subtlety. The hanging crossover is still there, but it’s setting up George’s jumper rather than getting him downhill. His defense remains stout, but 16 years in the league have aged him up a position or two. The aspirations of carrying a team are long gone; in their place are the day-to-day realities of how George makes life easier for everyone around him, one swing pass and defensive rotation at a time. Those are useful contributions for any team. But when you’re the marquee return in a trade for Jaylen Brown, on a team that hopes to compete with the best in the East, you tend to get held to a loftier standard, fairly or not. George can’t wind back the clock, but this season will be a test of how far all that subtlety can go and how his body will hold up playing in more dynamic systems. Winning clubs need do-it-all connectors like PG. But what will happen with George if and when Boston needs a bit more?