Doc Rivers Believes This Paul George Trait Could Be Contagious For Celtics

Doc Rivers believes this Paul George trait could be contagious for Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Former Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers had the same shocked reaction to the Jaylen Brown trade that most fans did — but he also believes the additions of Paul George, Mitchell Robinson, and Mike Conley Jr. can help the Celtics remain competitive in a beefed-up Eastern Conference. 

“I think everything [the Celtics] do is intentional. I really do,” said Rivers, who will serve as analyst this season for the NBA on NBC. “When the trade went down, I was like, ‘Whoa, this is an interesting trade,’ especially to the partner that they chose. I was like, ‘I’m glad Tommy Heinsohn is not around right now,’ doing anything with Philly, you know?

“But, at the end of the day, when you take a step back from the shock, and you look at their team, it fits. I think their team is gonna be really good.”

How important is fit in the NBA?

“As a coach, I never worried about it, the fit thing. I was like, ‘I’m gonna make it fit, you know? I’m not giving up on talent,’” said Rivers. “But there’s so much more now with the NBA and the contracts. Like, when you’re taking up 70 percent of your [salary cap with two players] — it just doesn’t work in the NBA anymore. And so every team is scrambling, as you can see. And, to me, what [the Celtics’ front office has] done is they went for that fit and the financial construction. So I think what they did was pretty smart overall.”

Here are more takeaways from Rivers on the 2026-27 Celtics (you can hear the full interview on the latest Celtics Talk podcast, which also features play-by-play legend Mike Tirico): 

PG’s overlooked value: Defense that changes everyone around him

Rivers coached Paul George during their time with the Los Angeles Clippers and thinks there’s one primary way that George can still impact winning at an advanced age in Boston. 

“The thing I think you’re gonna be surprised with is his defense,” said Rivers. George has since piled up a team-high 7 steals in 49 minutes of preseason action, routinely sparking fast break opportunities after turning over opponents. 

“On ball, [Clippers teammate] Kawhi [Leonard] was better, but I remember [Clippers current head coach and former Rivers assistant] Ty Lue and I talking one night and I was like, ‘You know, Paul’s an elite defender, and I think he’s even better off the ball.’ What’s happening is elite off-the-ball defenders can be contagious.”

George generated 2.7 steals and a staggering 6.5 deflections per 100 possessions last season with Philadelphia, ranking in the 97th percentile at his position for both marks. George has ranked in the 89th percentile or better in steal rate for his position in each of the past five seasons. 

On the offensive end, Rivers believes George can be maximized as a catch-and-shoot option. 

“He’s a great shooter. And where Jaylen did a lot off the dribble, I think Paul George they use far more as a catch-and-shoot guy. I think he’s elite at that,” said Rivers. “He can take you off the dribble, too. I didn’t use him as that much, when I was with the Clippers, because I wanted him to be catch and shoot. I think he’ll be more back to that catch and shoot stuff.”

George shot 41.6 percent on 4.5 catch-and-shoot 3-pointers per game last season with Philadelphia (compared to 34.1 percent on 2.2 pull-up 3s per game). The shot defied him a bit in his preseason appearances, but it’s clear the attention that players like Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard can attract on drives will lead to many open catch-and-shoot looks for George.

The D-White bounce back

Rivers admitted there’s a bunch of potential X-factors for the Celtics this season, but the primary one is Derrick White finding his shot again.

“I think Paul George’s health, I think Mitchell Robinson’s ability to rebound is still underestimated — and I think Derrick White returning back to Derrick White,” Rivers said when asked about X-factors. “[White] didn’t have his typical playoff run, he struggled with his shot. That’s a fluke. So I think Derrick White being back to Derrick White is huge.”

Why is Rivers bullish on White finding his stroke again after the shooting woes of a year ago?

‘It’s the NBA, man. Like you get to missing shots and the NBA doesn’t stop and wait for you to get your mind right, you know?” said Rivers. “It just keeps going and there’s times you get left behind, mentally, and I thought that it was as simple as that.”

More Doc thoughts

–Doc loves Joe Mazzulla and his coaching style: “He’s one of my favorites. I mean, he really is, and not because he’s a Celtic. I just love him. I love him because he is who he is and I love coaches like that. You’re not going to talk him out of it. And that makes him a really good, consistent coach.”

–East is wide open — but also incredibly daunting: ” I think the East is wide open. And unfortunately, it’s wide open meaning there’s five teams that I can rattle off that could win the East. In two years, it went from the worst conference to the best conference. And so I think that’s the tough part. I don’t think any team will win as much as they won last year. I also think there’s no tanking teams this year, so you can’t just count 15 wins, you know? So this is gonna be a hard NBA season for the East.

–He’s got one bone to pick with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett: “You know what pisses me off? Paul and Kevin are golfing now. Like, what the heck? That would have been so much more fun … They ridiculed Ray and I for golfing, and now they love it, especially Paul. Paul plays every day.”