The first look at Boston’s new setup came with a message that was hard to miss: this offense is built around Jayson Tatum.
With everyone available except Ron Harper Jr. and Devin Carter, the Celtics rolled into Saturday night and flattened the 76ers, 144-106. Philadelphia was without Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, and LeBron James, but Boston still came out looking like the sharper, more organized, more dangerous team from the opening tip.
Tatum was at the center of it all. He finished with 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in 26 minutes, going 9-of-19 from the field and 4-of-10 from deep.
The box score mattered, but the bigger story was how naturally the game flowed through him. Boston made sure the ball kept finding its best player, and Tatum responded by keeping the offense moving instead of forcing the issue.
That approach showed up everywhere. Nobody seemed interested in pressing or stepping outside their lane, and nobody tried to overdo it.
Tatum, in turn, trusted the flow, moved the ball, and knew it would come back his way. Even with him sitting the fourth quarter, he still led the team in shot attempts, with nobody else taking more than 12.
The Celtics have been talking all offseason about exactly this kind of structure, and Saturday gave the clearest picture yet. The roster is built to orbit Tatum, and the results were immediate: 52% shooting from the floor, 46% from three, 31 free throw attempts, and 31 assists. That’s a clean offensive night by any standard, and Boston piled up 144 points while doing it.
Paul George, Tatum’s new wingman, put the idea plainly: “My job is to just make the game as easy as possible for JT… He’s going to be special”. That’s been the message around Boston since George arrived, and now it’s something the Celtics have already shown on the floor.
What stood out most was the clarity. Roles looked defined.
The ball moved with purpose. Tatum was the center of the solar system, and everything else seemed built to support that reality.
For game one, it looked like a formula that could work very well.
And this is still early. The group is new, the chemistry is still forming, and these responsibilities are just starting to settle into place. Even so, Boston cleared the first test easily, and there’s reason to think the offense only gets more dangerous from here.
In Other News...
Tatum And Brown Reunion Reopened An Awkward Celtics Breakup
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown found themselves on opposite sides for the first time in a preseason game, a reunion that carried more tension than nostalgia for two players who spent years as the Celtics defining duo. The matchup came after Brown was dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers this summer, a move that reshaped Bostons long-running core and left plenty of questions about how the breakup came together.
Before the game, the two did not speak during warmups, a small detail that said plenty about the awkwardness surrounding the split. The Celtics have moved on to a new chapter, but the reason behind trading Brown still is not clear, and the status of his relationship with Tatum only adds to the intrigue whenever their paths cross again. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Are Already Sorting Out One Big Jayson Tatum Question
Jayson Tatum is expected to be right where the Celtics need him on opening night, anchoring a reshaped starting group as Boston sorts through the lineup combinations that fit best around him. With Paul George and Derrick White projected to join him, the early question is less about Tatums place and more about which supporting pieces help the Celtics make the most of a roster that has changed this season.
Boston has already begun testing those options in camp, using players such as Mitchell Robinson and Jordan Walsh to see how different looks function with Tatum as the focal point. The coaching staff is still evaluating what the best balance looks like, and the experiments so far have made clear that the final answer around Tatum is still very much being sorted out. [Read more 🡒]
Paul George Just Sent Celtics Fans A Clear Jayson Tatum Message
Jayson Tatums next chapter in Boston is already drawing a different kind of partner than the one he had with Jaylen Brown. Brown and Tatum spent years carrying the Celtics as co-stars, with a competitive edge that often defined how the team was viewed, but Paul George is signaling a cleaner fit for what comes next after being traded to Boston in the Brown deal.
George has made it clear he does not want the spotlight framed as a two-man race, and that matters for how this partnership could be judged in Boston. Rather than chasing the label of the guy, he wants to complement Tatum and help push him into a higher conversation, which tells Celtics fans a lot about the tone George wants to set before the season even starts. [Read more 🡒]