Since he was traded to the Boston Celtics, veteran forward Paul George has turned back the clock to play like he was near the end of his tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers. And whether the dip in his play with the Philadelphia 76ers was due to a stretch of poor health, how he was being used, or some combination of the two, it is evident that those issues are not currently bothering the Fresno State alum.

"It's been pretty seamless," said Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla via CLNS Media. "It takes work. I think that's an underrated thing about PG is his work ethic. The mental side of the game, tactical side of the game, getting better ... So I think at the beginning in training camp, it was good for him to go through some struggles as far as figuring out the system a little bit."

"And at the same time, (there is also) us tweaking it to make sure he fits in it," said Mazzulla. "And it comes with a lot of work, and it's something that he takes pride in."

"(He) takes pride in watching film," continued the Celtics coach. "Takes pride in. Understanding the game on both ends, and he competes."

"So ... you always know stuff about a guy, and you get to know each other. But I think, seeing how competitive he is and how hard he is on himself, it makes it better to coach."