Celtics star Paul George shares eye-opening admission on impact of immense pressure
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Paul George is entering his 17th NBA season with a fresh outlook, and the Boston Celtics forward is not pretending the criticism of the last two years never got to him.
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In an interview with Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, George opened up about the weight of expectations that has followed him throughout his career.
“I think guys would be lying if they say the pressure [doesn’t impact them],” George said. “It does bother you at times. It does affect you at times. But you got to believe in yourself. That’s where you really test your strength.”
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The nine-time NBA All-Star added that the key is focusing on what he can control.
“Life has its ways of humbling you. It has its ways of teaching you,” George said. “And if you’re not prepared to be taught and take the lessons from those moments, then you won’t prepare when it’s time to really perform.”
The 36-year-old has had plenty of those lessons lately. His two seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers were marked by injuries and frustration, and last season he was suspended 25 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
“It definitely humbled me the last two years, and it also just showed true colors,” George said.
He did finish strong, though. George returned for the final stretch of the regular season and then helped the Sixers rally from a 3-1 deficit to knock out the Celtics in the first round, averaging 17.4 points while shooting 55% from three in the series.
Boston clearly took notice. The Celtics acquired George in a July trade that sent Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia, and the change of scenery has given the six-time All NBA member a renewed sense of purpose.
“There’s a love again for this game, and I just think everything is kind of just aligning at the right time for me here,” he said.
George is expected to slot in as a complementary piece next to Jayson Tatum, who has long called George a mentor. He showed what he can bring in his preseason debut, putting up 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals in a 144-106 rout of the Sixers.
George and the Celtics open the regular season on the road against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
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