To wait is probably unrealistic Pavel George to replace Jaylen Brown‘s production at the age of 36, but it fits close Jason Tatum will be important in determining Celtics‘success,’ he writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (subscription required). George noted that their relationship got off to a strong start.
“JT did a great job of letting me be myself, just go into it as me and just fit in with the band,” he said. “So I’ve been more than comfortable since day one. There’s going to be some things that are still figuring out and learning, but they’ve done a great job, I think, helping me acclimate right away. It’s been great that we’ve come together this summer, where I’m comfortable again, and you know you’re me and you’re applying what I’m doing.”
Washburn notes that Tatum has been compared to George since entering the league because of their similar size and skill set. He adds that Tatum welcomed George after the trade was announced with Philadelphia in July and is looking forward to playing alongside someone who inspired him while developing the game.
“I belong to that generation of kids that grew up watching him play, especially you know when I was in middle school and high school,” Tatum said. “He was definitely one of those guys that you knew when I was coming up. I used to watch a lot of film of that archetypal two-way player, 6-9, who kills from all three levels. He was definitely someone when I was in high school, college, even early in my career, that I was always trying to steal things from and watching him do, just because of the way I played.”
There are more from Boston:
- Dylan Mitchell had the opportunity to pursue a fifth year of college basketball, but he decided to stay in the NBA after the Celtics drafted him in June with the 40th overall pick, MassLive’s Suichi Terada. “I’m here. I’ve worked hard to get here.” said Mitchell, who has a two-way contract. “I thought it was just the development side. The few months I spent here was enough for me. I mean, I want to be here and I worked hard to get here, so it was an easy decision for me.”
- Peyton Pritchard faces an interesting decision now that he is eligible for an extension worth up to $67 million over three years, MassLive’s Brian Robb states in the mailbag column. Rob sees this as another friendly deal if Pritchard opts for an extension now rather than waiting to earn more next year. However, he also notes that Pritchard will be 30 years old when he becomes a free agent, so it would be wise to lock in the money while he can.
- coach Joe Mazzula chose to hold training camp at the Citadel because of its unique setting, Washburn adds a separate story. The South Carolina campus is one of the the country’s six top military colleges. “I really like the military leadership” Mazula said. “I’m learning a lot from it. I think it’s important, so any chance we get to do it, we’re going to try.”
