Here we are, awaiting the start of another postseason run. The Yankees’ season could be over in the next two to three days, or it could take us on a journey through October with the chance to finally deliver that elusive 28th title. Their run will begin as it did last year in the Wild Card Series against Boston, this time leading off with Cam Schlittler instead of bringing him out in Game 3 with Max Fried and Gerrit Cole waiting in the wings for Games 2 and 3 (if necessary). They’ll have to make it at least past this opening series without Aaron Judge, who after straining his calf has been shut down from baseball activities for the past few weeks, but the Yankee offense carries a decent amount of firepower heading into this matchup compared to where they were at during the summer.
Due to the potential of elimination, it’s hard to look much further ahead than the immediate when it comes to the mailbag going forward. There’s the possibility that by the time we reconvene to answer this week’s questions the Yankees have been sentenced to an early offseason, but there’s also the possibility that their run continues and some key stars were the reason why. To that point, the questions with the most relevance are going to depend on what happens in the coming days: will the Yankee rotation live up to their regular season pedigree, did the Red Sox expose any weaknesses that could come to haunt them against the Rays, what was the biggest takeaway from this season the Yankees can use to plan for 2027? All are viable questions depending on the results, but there’s nothing to do but wait and see which path these Yankees take us on.
Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of October 1st will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean (26) throws a pitch in the first inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. The Mets led 3-1 after three innings. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Two Mets are on the ballot for the 2026 ‘All-MLB’ team, Juan Soto and Nolan McLean. Voting opens today and runs through Friday, October 9. The team will be announced at the MLB Awards on November 11 in Las Vegas. For those unaware of how the All-MLB team gets selected, this is the description from the press release:
Fans and panelists will vote for their choices at catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, three outfielders (without regard for left/center/right) and designated hitter, along with five starting pitchers and two relief pitchers on both the first and second teams. All choices will be based on the 2026 regular season, without regard for American League or National League affiliation.
McLean, a Rookie of the Year contender, put up 3.0 bWAR in his first full season alongside a 3.16 ERA, 128 ERA+, 194 strikeouts in 179 and two-thirds innings, while making 31 starts. Soto, who missed 51 games due to injury, also put up 3.0 bWAR while hitting .275/.393/.515 with 27 home runs and a 154 OPS+.
Other outfield selections include Pete Crow-Armstrong, Mike Trout, James Wood, and Byron Buxton. Other starting pitcher nominees include Sandy Alcantara, Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, and Tarik Skubal.
The full list of nominees can be found here, and you can vote here.
With just one day left before the Yankees take on the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, the rivals' third-ever meeting in the round and seventh-ever in the playoffs, New York's roster remains full of injury-induced holes.
Manager Aaron Boone gave an update on several players at a news conference Monday, speaking about Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and more.
Judge to take live batting practice
Although Judge has made it clear that his personal goal is to be back on the field for the playoffs, Boone was still hesitant to commit to any decisions Monday. He did, however, say that the Yankee captain has been taking part in various parts of practice over the last few days.
"He did some hitting underneath and threw yesterday, underneath," Boone said. "...I believe he'll be part of the live [batting practice] today, so he's making progress. We'll continue to see where he's at."
The Yankees placed Judge on the 10-day IL on Sept. 17 due to a calf strain, ending his regular season. The two-time reigning MVP received a PPP injection for the injury last Monday, forcing him to limit activity altogether for a few days, but has since returned to the weight and training rooms.
When asked whether or not Boone saw Judge returning to right field as opposed to playing solely as a pinch hitter or designated hitter, Boone gave a similarly inconclusive response.
"I don't know," he said. "We'll continue to evaluate, and I'll listen to trainers and medical and see where we're at."
Speaking with reporters after Boone's comments, Judge noted he hasn't tried running the bases yet. In fact, he only mentioned running on the zero gravity machine. Still, he's trying to work his way onto the Game 1 roster.
"I've been doing a lot of convincing, I feel like, so I'm going to keep doing that," he said. "We're all going to be smart, but I think they all know I want to be out there, especially in the first game."
Stanton's status still unclear
Boone's answer for Stanton was the same: No final decision has been made.
"I've talked to him a bit," Boone said. "I don't know if there's one definitive [thing] like, 'Oh! There he is, he's on.' It's more just letting the day unfold, seeing where we're at, and then making a final call one way or another."
Stanton has missed nearly the whole season due to three calf injuries sustained at various points throughout the spring and summer. Last Thursday, Boone seemed hopeful about the five-time All Star's potential return to the lineup, noting that Stanton had returned to the cage and was "trending in the right direction."
Weathers, Grisham making progress
Both Trent Grisham and Ryan Weathers missed roughly the last month of the regular season, and while Boone danced around a concrete answer regarding their postseason participation as well, he mentioned they'd both likely take part in training today.
"Grish very much in play," Boone said. "[Today's] a very important day. He'll be a part of the live as well."
He added that Weathers might warm his throwing arm up today.
Grisham was placed on the 10-day IL on Sept. 6 after tweaking his hamstring, which was declared a Grade 2 strain, less than three months after injuring the same hamstring in mid-June. His first stint on the IL lasted nearly three weeks. Weathers last pitched Aug. 22, missing the last month of the season due to a left forearm flexor strain.
Mailloux will miss at least eight weeks after undergoing hand surgery, while Tucker is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Not only have the Blues lost their seventh defenseman in Tucker, but they've also lost a player expected to play critical minutes in Mailloux.
This has made Barron a more important piece of the Blues roster than originally expected.
In addition to claiming Barron, the Blues recalled top prospect and 2024 first-round pick Adam Jiricek from the AHL's Springfield Thunderbirds.
While the organization has high hopes for Jiricek and was pleased with his pre-season performances, Barron joins the organization with 208 NHL games, a 6-foot-2 frame, and decent results.
In each of the past two seasons with the Predators, Barron posted Corsi For and expected goals percentages above 50 percent at 5-on-5. The Predators had been outscored with Barron on the ice, but much of that can be attributed to poor goaltending. The Predators posted save percentages of .864 and .904 with Barron on the ice in each of the last two seasons, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
There are reasons to believe an improved enviroment can help Barron's game, and GM Alexander Steen is in agreement with that notion.
"Our scouts have liked his game when we watched him play," said the rookie GM. "This is a fresh start for him... We brought Adam (Jiricek) up, and we felt organizationally we had depth on our left side. This helps create more depth on our right side."
For Barron, he understands what this could mean for his career and is ready to show it.
"I'm here to show these guys what I can do, and hopefully bring an aspect of my game that can help this team win games."
For now, the 24-year-old will have to wait for his moment, as today's practice lines suggest Jiricek will get the first go in the lineup, skating alongside Cam Fowler on a power-play unit.
With a long 84-game season, injuries are inevitable, and one of the youngsters, Jiricek or Lindstein, could stumble out of the gate, opening a spot for Barron in the lineup.
In the meantime, Barron has to keep a next-man-up, stay-ready mindset.
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So sitting in the Citi Field press conference room just two weeks later, the Mets’ president of baseball operations was asked if he had any regrets over the way things went down.
Alonso, of course, left the Mets this offseason for a big money five-year deal with the Orioles after not receiving an offer from the only organization he’d ever known.
In turn, Stearns attempted to replace his production by bringing in veteran Jorge Polanco, who ended up appearing in just 37 games after battling wrist and ankle injuries.
So after seeing Mets fans give their fan favorite ovation after ovation in his heroic Citi Field return, Stearns said it’s a fair question looking back on things.
“The truth is in this job I don’t get mulligans,” he emphasized. “I also recognize Pete had a tremendous year, and the totality of our production at first base wasn’t good enough, so my job now is to ensure that we’ve got better success across our roster, but for the entirety of the season better production at first base, as well.”
Alonso showed no ill-effects transitioning during his first year in the American League, as he became the first player in baseball history to lead both leagues in RBI in separate seasons (113).
He also launched a league-high 43 homers and posted career-best marks in OBP (.363) and OPS (.884), among several other offensive statistics, while missing just one game (Sunday’s rainout in the Bronx).
The Mets, on the other hand, struggled to receive much of anything from the position before Jared Young stepped up with his breakout second-half of the season.
Even with Young's production, it wasn't nearly good enough.
“I give Pete an enormous amount of credit, he went out and had a great year,” Stearns said. “Our entire season our first base production wasn’t neatly good enough, now it’s my job to put a group together that plays better.”
A former Pittsburgh Penguins forward is officially hanging up the skates.
Former Penguins forward Matt Nieto announced through his Instagram account that he has retired from professional hockey.
Nieto noted that injury trouble is the reason why he has decided to retire from hockey.
Nieto spent each of his last two NHL seasons with the Penguins in 2023-24 and 2024-25. He was limited to only 54 games over that span for the Metropolitan Division club, where he recorded two goals, seven points, 53 hits, and a minus-3 rating.
Nieto also played in 15 AHL games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during the 2024-25 season, posting three goals, four assists, seven points, and a plus-2 rating.
In 705 career NHL games over 12 seasons split between the San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, and Penguins, Nieto recorded 87 goals, 119 assists, and 206 points. He also posted eight goals and 21 points in 62 career NHL playoff games.
Overall, Nieto had a solid career as a depth forward in the NHL.
The biggest story of the Detroit Pistons’ summer now lingers into the start of training camp.
Jalen Duren remains unsigned.
Coming off the best season of his career, one that included his first All-Star appearance and an All-NBA Third Team selection, Duren and the Pistons have spent the summer negotiating a new contract without reaching an agreement.
That remained the case Monday at Pistons Media Day, which Duren did not attend.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Duren has declined a fully guaranteed five-year, $200 million offer from Detroit as the two sides remain at a stalemate.
Still, Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon made one thing clear Monday: Detroit still wants Duren back.
“We will be excited to have him in regardless of what decision he does make,” Langdon said. “He was a huge reason for our success the last two seasons, had a tremendous season individually last year as well, and we believe he will do the same thing this year.
“We’ll integrate him, and he’s going to have a fantastic season regardless of his decision. But we’re looking forward to getting him.”
Duren, 22, averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 65% from the field last season, establishing himself as one of the league’s top young centers and a major piece of Detroit’s rise.
But his long-term future with the franchise has remained unsettled throughout the offseason.
Langdon declined to discuss specifics of the negotiations Monday, but acknowledged that he has not personally spoken with Duren throughout the summer.
“I have not spoken to the young man all summer, so I don’t know how that is,” Langdon said. “For me, I’m not going to hold anything against him. Again, I would be very happy to have him back. I’ll be excited. He’s been a huge part of our success. I think he’ll continue to be a huge part of that going forward.”
Despite the lack of an agreement — and the lack of communication between Langdon and Duren — Detroit’s stance publicly has remained consistent.
The Pistons still view Duren as one of the pillars of a young core, alongside Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson.
“When he is back, it’s bringing him in, letting him know that he has a huge part, and putting him in situations where he can be the best version of himself and help us out to the best degree that he can,” Langdon said. “So, we’ll be excited to have him back and incorporate him into the team.”
While the situation is unfamiliar territory for a Pistons organization that has spent the last two seasons building continuity around its young core, Langdon has dealt with contract stalemates before during his time as an NBA executive.
His message Monday was that the organization would not allow the negotiations to change how it views or treats Duren once he returns.
“We’ll do everything we can to support him and get the best version of him, which is what we’ve done the past two years,” Langdon said. “That will not change. Those are things that we can control. His decision, it’s not one that we can control.”
Duren’s next major deadline comes Thursday, Oct. 1.
If he does not agree to a long-term contract, Duren has the option to accept Detroit’s one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer. Doing so would allow him to return to the Pistons this season before becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Sacramento and Milwaukee have been among the teams reportedly interested in Duren, although Langdon declined Monday to discuss whether Detroit has explored potential sign-and-trade scenarios.
Whatever frustration may exist within the negotiations, however, it does not appear to have changed Duren’s relationship with his teammates or coaching staff.
Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Cunningham both said Monday that they remained in contact with Duren throughout the summer without attempting to influence his contract decision.
“He knows how I feel about him, and I continue to let him know how I feel about him,” Bickerstaff said. “And that’s really all that matters. I love JD.
“I know how JD feels about me, how he feels about being a member of the Pistons. It’s positive. He’s a huge part of what we do, and where we are right now, the steps that we’ve taken to get there. We look forward to having him back.”
The Pistons open training camp Tuesday without Duren, who remains unsigned and therefore is not currently part of the team’s training camp roster.
How long that remains the case is still unknown.
But after an entire summer of negotiations, Detroit enters training camp with the same major question hanging over the organization — and only days remaining before Duren must make his next decision.
Two former Montreal Canadiens defensemen have found new homes after being placed on waivers.
This is because Justin Barron has been claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Blues, while William Trudeau has been claimed off waivers by the Nashville Predators.
Barron was placed on waivers earlier this week by Nashville. Now, the former Canadiens blueliner will be joining the Blues organization and will be aiming to impress.
Trudeau, on the other hand, was placed on waivers by the New York Rangers. The Canadiens traded Trudeau to the Rangers during the off-season for forward Brett Berard. Yet, Trudeau will now be joining the Predators instead.
Barron appeared in 52 games last season for the Predators, where he recorded nine assists and a minus-1 rating. He spent four seasons with the Canadiens from 2021-22 to 2024-25, where he posted 13 goals, 31 points, and a minus-11 rating in 109 games.
As for Trudeau, he is still looking to make his NHL debut. The 2021 fourth-round pick spent four seasons with the Laval Rocket but never earned a call-up to the Canadiens' roster before being traded this summer.
In 260 AHL games with Laval over four seasons, Trudeau recorded 28 goals, 62 assists, 90 points, 236 penalty minutes, and a plus-19 rating.
“I had visions of playing in [Madison Square] Garden and finishing my career in the Garden,” James said. “One of the best places I’ve ever played.
“I think it’s the No. 1 arena in the world, as far as for a basketball player. But after they beat San Antonio, I was like, ‘Hey, I can’t.’ I couldn’t do it.”
Philadelphia 76ers’ LeBron James reacts as he goes between stations during the NBA basketball team’s media day in Camden, N.J., Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. AP Photo/Chris Szagola
Following the Knicks’ championship in June, the 41-year-old only considered his current team along with the Cavaliers, Heat, Warriors and Timberwolves for his free agency decision this offseason. James felt he would be taking a lot of heat from Knicks fans and the media if he jumped on the team after a historic season.
“Y’all wouldn’t have let me lay that down, at all,” he said, referring to the media. “But much respect to the Knicks, obviously. An unbelievable team, unbelievable players. Shout out Jalen Brunson. I love that guy, he’s unbelievable. But, yeah, I’m happy where I’m at, and I’m looking forward to it.”
“It’s difficult. The last thing you want to do is mess up something like that,” Paul said. “The Knicks have a good thing. … If the Knicks hadn’t have won [the title], there would be no board [of teams]. He’d be going to the Knicks.”
From left, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers’ LeBron James and VJ Edgecombe get ready for a group photo during the NBA basketball team’s media day, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, in Camden, N.J. AP Photo/Chris Szagola
James, who plans to spend time between residences in Philadelphia and New York, went on to sign a two-year, $8 million deal with the 76ers, but the 22-time All-Star continuously emphasized it was never about the money for him.
Rather, James wants to have an impact and bring a championship home to a new city at what is the twilight point of his career.
The four-time NBA champ even bluntly stated: “I didn’t leave my family to lose in the second round” on Monday.
The Knicks swept the 76ers swiftly in the second-round of the playoffs in May. Philly has not been to the NBA Finals since losing in the 2000-01 season to the Lakers in five games.
Alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and young star VJ Edgecombe, James will start his Sixers era on Oct. 20 against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Sep 27, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins first baseman Royce Lewis (23) runs the bases on his solo home run against the Texas Rangers in the eighth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Twins ended the season on a high note, winning their last two series, including playing spoiler in the AL West race, taking two games from the Rangers. This wraps up the season with a 77-85 record, good for 3rd in the AL Central, a distant seven games back from the last wild card spot, and the 11th worst team in the majors. But now we look forward to a lengthy offseason that could get messy quick with CBA negotiations between players and owners.
The Past Week on Twinkie Town:
Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
The Twins have announced that they are switching up the staff, parting ways with pitching coaches Pete Maki and Luis Ramirez along with athletic trainer Jason Kirkman.
In the World of Baseball:
We have our playoff bracket! Ultimately, Tampa Bay and Cleveland earned byes to the Division Series in the AL. We have a marquee matchup between the Yankees and Red Sox on the Tampa side of the bracket and the White Sox and Astros will face off on the Cleveland side of the bracket.
In the National League, the Brewers and Dodgers earned byes, with Milwaukee facing the winner between the Padres and Cubs, and Los Angeles facing the winner between the Phillies and Atlanta.
Yordan Alvarez won the AL Batting Title, but Pete Alonso’s furious September (11 homers, 22 RBI), stopped Alvarez from winning the Triple Crown, finishing second to Alonso in both categories. Still, he’s the likely AL MVP, so can’t complain too much.
Gabriel Moreno finished with the best average in the NL, one point above Luis Arraez, while PCA led the league in home runs and Alec Burleson gave a silver lining to the Cardinals season, finishing first in RBI.
Jacob Misiorowski capped off his dominant regular season, leading the majors in ERA, strikeouts, and opponent batting average. He’ll now hope to lead the Brewers to their World Series title.
Amid a busy offseason full of signings, trades and departures, the Los Angeles Lakers’ most notable addition was center Walker Kessler, whom they acquired via sign-and-trade from the Utah Jazz. Ideally, Kessler will serve as the long-term answer at center during the Luka Dončić era, a position which has eluded the Lakers since trading away Anthony Davis to acquire Dončić in February 2025.
Luka Doncic, when asked about why/how he identified Walker Kessler as a player he wanted on the Lakers, says Walker was always tough to play against. Added that Walker will be an "amazing fit for us" and "he’s going to help us a lot.”
Between his generational passing and defensive inconsistencies, Dončić has long paired well with defensive-minded, play-finishing centers, so his desire to land Kessler is no surprise. When the Dallas Mavericks made the 2024 NBA Finals, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford played some of the best basketball of their careers alongside Dončić. Last season, Deandre Ayton’s true shooting percentage was 5.4 points higher (69.6 vs. 64.2) with Dončić on the floor, according to Databallr.
Since entering the league, Kessler’s converted 74.7% (716-of-959) of his shots around the rim and posted a block rate no lower than the 95th percentile (excluding last year’s five-game sample), per Cleaning the Glass. He is both a reliable interior scorer and high-level rim protector who will benefit from Dončić‘s offensive splendor while helping cover for his struggles defending in space.
Most interestingly is the lengths to which head coach JJ Redick deploys Kessler as a screening and playmaking hub. He’s developed in both areas over the past four years and could be a short-roll outlet when Dončić is doubled or help create easier scoring chances for Dončić and Austin Reaves off the ball. The finishing and interior defense are bankable. It’s the scope of his offensive capabilities that could further validate Dončić‘s belief Kessler is “an amazing fit.”
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 17: The sneakers worn by T.J. Bickerstaff #49 of the Detroit Pistons during the game against the Miami Heat during the 2025 NBA Summer League game on July 17, 2025 at the Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Candice Ward/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, right, celebrates with teammates after the team clinched their fifth consecutive National League West title on Sept. 17 in Cincinnati. (Tanner Pearson / AP Photo)
It seems like a simple equation: $338 million produces 100.
That’s the Dodgers season-ending payroll and victory total. But to assume a franchise can merely buy a playoff berth is a stretch.
The New York Mets sit at home — or more likely at lavish vacation destinations, given their perch at the top of baseball’s payrolls at $345.8 million. They finished last in the National League East with a 74-88 record.
The Cleveland Guardians also sit at home, but are quite pleased about it. They earned a first-round bye and berth in the American League Division Series this weekend despite a payroll of only $74.2 million — baseball’s lowest and barely one-fifth that of the Mets.
Twelve of the 30 MLB teams qualified for the postseason, with four best-of-three Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday. Eight of the dozen have payrolls in the top 10, with the defending AL champion Toronto Blue Jays joining the Mets as supreme underachievers given their No. 5-ranked payroll of $275.4 million.
Yet three playoff teams — the Tampa Bay Rays ($98.3 million) and Chicago White Sox ($98 million), in addition to the Guardians — rank among the six lowest payrolls, according to MLB Labor Relations Department’s (LRD) present-day salary calculations obtained by USA Today.
The combined LRD payrolls of those three overachievers don’t come close to the Mets or Dodgers, highlighting the enormous disparity between the haves and have-nots that team owners point to while demanding a salary cap during ongoing collective bargaining negotiations.
Oddly, only one playoff qualifier is among the 14 mid-range payrolls of roughly $100 million to $200 million — the Milwaukee Brewers, who achieved baseball’s best record at 103-59 while paying its roster $143.5 million. The Angels are also among that group, ranking No. 15 at $179.8, not enough to keep them from losing 100 games for the first time in franchise history.
The LRD payroll tracks a team’s real-time salary commitments for the current season, accounting for the 26-man MLB roster’s base salaries plus a prorated portion of signing bonuses. LRD differs from luxury tax payrolls, which are based on the average annual value of every player contract on the 40-man roster.
Luxury tax payrolls determine whether a team exceeds the league’s luxury tax threshold and owes financial penalties. MLB is using luxury tax payrolls in the CBA negotiations over a hard salary cap and floor, proposing a $245.3 million ceiling and $171.2 million floor for 2027.
Luxury tax penalties from clubs that exceed the thresholds funnel back to low-revenue clubs through revenue sharing. A record $402,637,907 was paid in luxury tax penalties last season, with the Dodgers paying the most at a record $169.4 million. This year the Dodgers’ luxury tax is projected at $180 million — higher than the LRD payroll of 16 teams.
The Dodgers also have the highest luxury tax payroll at $430 million, dwarfing the Mets’ $363 million number. Reasons? The Dodgers pay more in penalties because they have exceeded the luxury tax six years in a row, they have more players with massive average annual values and they took on additional penalties by acquiring starter Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline.
BRIGHTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 15: Paul George #13 of the Boston Celtics speaks to the media during a press conference on September 15, 2026 at The Auerbach Center in Brighton, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
BOSTON — As he embarks on his Year 17 NBA season, Paul George has heard it all.
He knows he’s been counted out by most of the basketball world after several injury-riddled campaigns that saw him perform well below his previous All-Star levels. He knows how his four-year, $211.58 million maximum contract, signed two summers ago, is widely perceived (spoiler alert: it hasn’t been viewed as a steal).
But on Celtics Media Day, George made clear that he’s confident that he has plenty left in the tank. He might not be in his physical prime — he might not be Indiana Pacers Paul George, or Oklahoma City MVP candidate Paul George — but he’s still really darn good.
(For reference, George averaged 17.4 points per game while shooting 48.9% from the field in 7 playoff games against the Celtics last Spring, and taking turns guarding Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum).
On Monday afternoon, donning a Celtics jersey for the first time, George attributed some of his more underwhelming stretches in recent years to injuries that he tried to persevere through. And this year, fresh off his first fully-healthy offseason in years, he’s ready to show the world what he’s capable of.
“I think the most frustrating thing about it is when a player is not healthy — but he tries everything to put it all on the line, tries to be available for his team, knowing that he’s not fully 100%, and then people are saying ‘Oh, he’s not this, he’s not that,’” he said. “Like, the fact of the matter was I wasn’t healthy; I was trying to play through injuries and be available and give everything that I had to the team, when I maybe — I probably — should have took a little more time off to let my body fully heal. And so, to hear that he’s not capable of this or he’s ‘washed’, it’s frustrating just because it’s like, I’m still capable of doing those things when healthy and I feel like my body is is back healthy. I feel I’m capable of doing those things again.’”
Asked Paul George how motivated he is to show people what he’s capable of when healthy:
“I think the most frustrating thing about it is when a player is not healthy, but he tries everything to put it all on the line, tries to be available for his team, knowing that he's not… pic.twitter.com/KEO4imykBz
For his career, George averaged 20.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. From 2015 to 2024, he never averaged below 21 points per game. But in his last two seasons in Philadelphia, his numbers declined across the board; he averaged 16.2 in 2024-2025 and 17.3 points in 2025-2026 while playing 78 games across both seasons.
When he was formally introduced earlier in September, George said he felt reborn.
“This summer really was a chance to continue to work: strengthen my body, strengthen my knee,” he said. “It’s almost like a kind of rebirth, or reborn again — to be in a system, to be in a winning culture, a winning environment, and to feel good. To be able to work, to be able to train again in the summers — my summers the last couple of years were dedicated to rehab.”
Still, his biggest motivation won’t be motivating the naysayers and critics, it’s showing himself what he’s capable of.
It’s reminding himself that the physical limitations he faced over the past couple of years were a result of injuries and surgeries that have since healed.
“It’s more so from a personal standpoint,” George said. “It’s not about going out and trying to drop 30 every night. I think it’s more so about being available, being efficient, being consistent, and I think, again, for myself, just proving that, when healthy, I’m able to do what I’ve done in my career, and I don’t judge it off of what I’ve done while being injured. It’s two different tales, I think, and so I’m erring on the side of what can I do when I’m healthy.’”
Paul George looks forward to excelling alongside Jayson Tatum
George’s mindset on Media Day was consistent with what he expressed in his introductory press conference two weeks ago: he’s not trying to turn back the clock to his prime, when he was often his teams’ leading scorer. But he does want to excel in a complementary role to Jayson Tatum.
“I’m here to help JT. He’s the guy,” George said then. “I’ve played alongside another superstar wing, and we coexisted beautifully. I see this with myself, with JT, being able to play off him.”
Fittingly, George walked into his Media Day press conference as Tatum was mid-answer to a question about George’s impact on him as a young basketball player.
“I’m around that generation of kids that kind of grew up watching him play, especially when I was in middle school and high school,” Tatum said.
Jayson Tatum was talking about how growing up he looked up to Paul George, without realizing PG was in the back of the room waiting for his media availability
Manchester City have come out fighting against the guilty verdict but the Premier League faces questions of its own
Nothing is over, nothing is done. Or at least not judging by the bravura, balls-out confidence of Manchester City’s chair, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, who remains convinced the past three days of whiplash are simply the drumroll before the big reveal, prelude to some clinching piece of evidence that will swish away the initial finding of guilt on the Premier League’s 100-plus charges.
This appears to be the official City position right now. Rope‑a‑dope litigation. Scooby‑Doo justice. A verdict that is simply exposition, buildup to that moment where we finally get to rip off the zombie mask and reveal the cranky old amusement park owner underneath, with his bulging ring‑binder full of irrefutable evidence of City’s innocence.
