Paul George is back in town to face the Philadelphia 76ers for the first time since they traded him to the Boston Celtics back in July.
When George met with reporters on the court before the Celtics held a shootaround at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Tuesday morning, the veteran wing seemed comfortable back on his former home court, wearing a Boston hoodie.
George received the expected questions about his mentality and emotions heading into the first Sixers-Celtics clash of the regular season. As most players typically would, George brushed it off as just a "regular game." Normally, it's easy to sense that a player isn't being truthful.
Just another game
If Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown said that, it would be laughably unbelievable. But in George's case, his relaxed demeanor seems to suggest he's telling the truth, because for him, it really is just another game. What does he really care about leaving his situation in Philly?
It didn't work out as expected for either side. George got to keep his large contract and went to a situation with the Celtics that allowed him to move up the offensive pecking order and play for a coach who won a recent NBA Championship. Everything's been going well for George, who has been embraced by Boston's fan base. His numbers are much better too.
Through nine games, George has averaged 30.1 minutes of playing time--right around the same range as his time with the Sixers. The Celtics' wing has posted averages of 20.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists, while shooting 42.5% from three. When George was with the Sixers over the past two seasons, he averaged 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists.
George will be just fine on Tuesday night, but the same can't be said for his co-star, Jayson Tatum. When it comes to South Philly, Tatum has experienced his fair share of hostile environments before, but Tuesday night will be a little rowdier. Consider the circumstances. The 76ers are the top seed, facing the No. 2 seed, and it happens to be a rivalry game. That alone is enough to call for an intense November night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
But 76ers fans are going to embrace the Tatum-Brown saga and make sure they play their role in it. Knowing that Brown feels slighted by the Celtics, the crowd will do its best to make the early November environment feel like the playoffs. The Celtics are going to need some of PG's relaxed demeanor to be contagious throughout their locker room.
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