Paul George continues to turn back the clock in his first season with the Boston Celtics. But it’s not just the solid two-way output he’s providing in green, it’s when he’s doing it.

The Celtics have absolutely dominated the minutes when George is on the court and Jayson Tatum is on the bench. On Tuesday night in Philadelphia, during a showdown with George’s former team, Boston opened the fourth quarter — a stretch where Tatum typically rests — on a 14-0 run that helped them motor away for a 123-101 triumph in a battle of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.

George’s fingerprints were all over what was a larger 26-3 burst after the Sixers rallied to tie the game late in the third quarter. It was George taking advantage of a mismatch with old friend Tyrese Maxey before delivering an and-one fadeaway as part of the fourth-quarter spurt. George then blew past Joel Embiid for a layup that had Boston on top 105-82.

The Celtics have posted a +9.6 net rating in the 181 minutes that George and Tatum have shared the floor this season, a solid number considering the starter-level competition the duo is facing during those minutes.

But it’s the non-Tatum minutes where George has truly shined. Stepping into a larger offensive spotlight early in the second and fourth quarters, the Celtics are posting eye-popping numbers when George runs with reserve-heavy pairings.

Boston is outscoring opponents by 30 points per 100 possessions during the 120 minutes that George has played without Tatum. The team’s offensive rating in those minutes is an insane 131.7, with the team shooting 42.1 percent on all 3-point attempts in that span.

The trend throughout Tatum’s career is the Celtics put up solid numbers when he’s on the court, and they’re usually just trying to survive the short bursts when he’s resting. This season, Boston teammates are giving Tatum every opportunity to refill the power meter, especially early in the fourth quarter, with the way George and Co. have thrived in those stretches.

George is now averaging 22 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.1 steals over 30.1 minutes per game in 10 appearances for Boston. He’s shooting what would be a career-best 48.8 percent from the floor and 44 percent on 8.4 3-point attempts per game.

He might also lead the team in celebratory chest bumps, having come up with big plays repeatedly in key fourth-quarter moments early in his Celtics tenure.

George is playing like an All-Star for the East-leading Celtics. As the very least, he’s making a strong case to be considered again for All-Defense if he reaches the 65-game threshold based on the chaos he’s routinely caused with deflections and steals on that end of the court.

In trading away Jaylen Brown, the Celtics left an obvious void for Tatum’s primary running mate. Expectations were tempered with George based on his age and injury history, but he’s been so much more than Celtics fans could have expected through the early part of the schedule.

What’s more, George seems invigorated by both the way his body feels this season, and the entire Boston experience.

The Celtics are outscoring opponents by 16.6 points per 100 possessions in George’s 301 total minutes. That net rating dips to +7.6 during his 232 minutes on the bench.

It was unfair to expect George to replace all of what Brown did in his role as Tatum’s running mate for the better part of a decade. But he’s fit perfectly in that role, and his strong two-way impact is maybe the biggest reason that Boston sits atop the Eastern Conference through the first three weeks of the 2026-27 season.