NBA Insider Eric Pincus Week 3 Notebook: Celtics Paul George Concerns, Scouts Doubt Grizzlies Playoff Hopes

Just three weeks into the NBA season and league executives are already raising concerns about Paul George’s durability, following his blockbuster move to the Boston Celtics, with one scout suggesting his workload may need to be significantly reduced. Meanwhile, despite the Memphis Grizzlies’ surprising 6-1 start, NBA scouts remain unconvinced they have what it takes to reach the playoffs. Paul George of the Boston Celtics celebrates after scoring against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half at TD Garden on November 04, 2026 (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) Executive Fears Paul George Will ‘Wear Down’ Following Celtics Trade Through Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers led the Eastern Conference, just a half-game ahead of the Detroit Pistons and 1.5 games ahead of the Boston Celtics. The 76ers and Celtics made one of the summer’s most significant trades, swapping Paul George for Jaylen Brown. Boston got out of Brown’s long-term salary and took back multiple draft picks from Philadelphia. The Sixers, who also landed LeBron James on a free-agent veteran minimum contract, hope to make a championship run in the East. But so do the Celtics. Interestingly, both players are putting up similar numbers for their respective franchises. George is averaging 20.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, while Brown is averaging 20.6, 6.9, and 4.3. George is doing it in fewer minutes (31 vs. 36.1) and stands out with 2.3 steals a game vs. Brown’s 1.3, but he has stepped into more of a co-star role alongside Boston’s Jayson Tatum. Brown needs to blend in more on Philadelphia’s high-powered roster with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and James. “The greater concern with Paul George is his legs. I love what he does when his body is right, but he struggles to stay at that level for a full season,” said an Eastern Conference executive. “It’s not like Jaylen Brown is the most durable guy, but I think Paul will wear down before Jaylen does.” George sat out Monday’s 109-103 loss to the Houston Rockets, resting on the second night of a back-to-back. Keeping a close eye on George’s stamina may be the answer for Boston, at least per an NBA scout. “When George is healthy, he’s always been a tremendous scorer and can still move around defensively,” they said. “The last few years, the number of games where he’s healthy like that, though, that’s the problem. Boston is going to have to manage his minutes all year, try to lighten his workload, play him closer to 60 games or so.” Many competing executives were skeptical that the Tatum/Brown combination would ever lead to a championship. The pair proved them wrong in 2024. Still, the trade wasn’t entirely unexpected, primarily for financial reasons. “The Celtics weren’t going to pay to keep that championship roster together, not in the NBA’s current system,” a Western Conference executive said. “The owners weren’t going to pay half a billion dollars in tax. Once they started to break up the core, it made sense that they’d choose between one of their two stars.” Boston previously traded away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis. The move for George gave them a reasonably similar player to Brown, albeit six years older. George can opt out of his $56.6 million salary for 2027-28 in June, perhaps to re-sign with the Celtics on a longer deal at a lower number. In the meantime, neither franchise made the trade for two weeks of basketball. Results will be measured in the postseason and when the Celtics cash in on the draft haul from the Sixers, which includes first-rounders from the LA Clippers in 2028 and Philadelphia in 2031, plus second-rounders in 2028 and 2030. NBA Scouts Warn Grizzlies Could Miss Playoffs Despite Impressive Start With Week 2 of the NBA’s 2026-27 season ending on Sunday, the Memphis Grizzlies (6-0) stood alone as the only unbeaten franchise. That ended Monday with a 135-134 overtime loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Still, a 6-1 start is surprising for a team many expected to be among the bottom-feeders outside of play-in range. “They’re better than a lot of people expected, myself included,” said one Eastern Conference scout. “They play hard and are well-coached.” Tuomas Iisalo, who took over in the interim late in the 2024-25 season, is off to a strong start in his second full season as the Grizzlies’ head coach. “They’re deep,” an NBA executive agreed. “They have shooting. Cam Boozer is figuring it out, and Ty Jerome has been tremendous.” Boozer, the No. 3 overall pick, has averaged 17.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 5.6 assists, with room for improvement at just 37.5 percent shooting from the field. Jerome opened the season with a stunning career-high 45 points and averaged 34.7 over the first three games, earning Western Conference Player of the Week honors. One concern for Memphis is its strength of schedule, with two wins apiece over the 1-6 Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings. Will the Grizzlies’ early surge hold up when they draw tougher competition? “I don’t think they’re a playoff team, yet,” the scout said. “Maybe they’ll drop off like the Miami Heat did last year, once teams get used to their style of play. When they play better teams, especially a second time, it will get much tougher for [Memphis].” Another scout was also skeptical that Jerome’s hot start will be enough to lead the Grizzlies to the playoffs, but conceded the team is better than he anticipated. “Jerome is good. He’s really good, but I don’t think he’s the best scorer on a playoff team,” the scout said. “From a talent perspective, the Grizzlies are middle-of-the-pack, but if you asked me that two weeks ago, I’d have said they’re not making the play-in.” Naturally, players try to block outside opinions. The team has built an early belief in what it’s doing, and that can snowball into something surprising. After last year’s 25-win season, a play-in appearance would be a tremendous step forward for the franchise. The post NBA Insider Eric Pincus Week 3 Notebook: Celtics Paul George Concerns, Scouts Doubt Grizzlies Playoff Hopes appeared first on Casino.org.