Paul George Has No Problem Taking A Back Seat To Jayson Tatum

The Boston Celtics will have another star in the mix this season, but that does not mean the pecking order has to change. Paul George was asked whether he still expects to be viewed as a superstar, and his answer pointed somewhere else.

George did not spend the moment selling himself. Instead, he made it clear that Jayson Tatum already holds the top spot in Boston, and he has no issue fitting around that role rather than trying to take it over.

Paul George Is Comfortable Letting Jayson Tatum Lead

George knows what it feels like to share a team with another elite wing. That experience appears to shape his approach in Boston, where the Celtics already have an established centerpiece in Tatum.

"We have a superstar, and that's JT. I'm not here to necessarily steal the shine or try to reinvent who I am …" George said when asked if he expects to still be a superstar.

That answer says plenty about what George expects from his role. He is not arriving in Boston to chase the biggest share of attention, and he does not seem interested in changing his game just to protect a superstar label.

For the Celtics, that could matter as much as any individual scoring total. A veteran who accepts the existing hierarchy gives the team more room to build an offense around its best player without creating an unnecessary fight for touches.

Paul George Has Shared The Spotlight Before

George also pointed to something he has already experienced during his career. He believes playing alongside another superstar wing can work when both players understand how to coexist.

"I've played alongside another superstar wing and we coexisted beautifully," George said.

That history gives his comments more weight. George is not describing a theory from the outside; he is drawing from his own experience and applying it to his next chapter in Boston.

Therefore, the Celtics do not need George to show that he is the star player. They need him to perform well while letting Tatum stay the main focus.

For George, that does not sound like a step backward. It sounds like a role he already knows can work.