BOSTON — Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum and nine-time All-Star Paul George have technically been teammates since early July. However, it didn't truly feel like it for them until Saturday night, when the Celtics trounced the rival Philadelphia 76ers 144-106 at TD Garden.
According to Tatum and George, they've been facing each other all summer long, as Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla forced them to scrimmage on opposing teams. On Saturday, they could finally share the court as friends rather than foes, helping the C's score a blowout victory in preseason play. Tatum finished with 23 points in 27 minutes while George recorded 13 points to go along with a game-high 5 steals.
"It was great," Tatum said of teaming up with George. "We've been
teammates for a few months now, but it was like my first time sharing the floor with him and being on the same team...You just see some of the special things that he brings to a team."
Since Tatum is a talented two-way player who's listed at 6-foot-8, it only makes sense that George would be assigned to guard him during practice. George is the same height and a similar kind of wing who can serve as both a talented scorer and a lockdown defender.
But, Tatum's star is rising. He's 28 years old and looking healthy after rupturing his Achilles last year. Meanwhile, George is 36 years old and in the twilight of his impressive NBA career. This juxtaposition makes it easy for the veteran star to understand his complementary role with Tatum.
"My job is try to make this as easy as possible for him," George stated in the locker room. "He's going to be special. He knows how to make plays. He knows how to get his own shot. But, my aggression takes the pressure off him."
Paul George on playing alongside Jayson Tatum:
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) October 11, 2026
“My job is try to make this as easy as possible for him.”
“He’s going to be special…He knows how to make plays. He knows how to get his own shot.” pic.twitter.com/z72NpHRPr3
Although the Celtics hammered the Sixers and were up by 21 points at halftime, George didn't seem totally comfortable on the offensive side of the ball. He missed 7 of his 10 shots from the floor and scored almost half of his points from the free throw line. When his first 3-pointer of the night went in, he paused, bent over, and gave a big sigh of relief.
These growing pains are natural, and they didn't take away from Tatum's first experience playing alongside George.
"It's kind of surreal a little bit, because like I said, I was in high school, kind of modeling my game after him and watching film of him," Tatum described of his new partnership. "Just to be able to be his teammate and learn from him, and him take on the role of being kind of a mentor or of assistance to myself and just other guys...It's cool to be a part of it."
Jayson Tatum on Paul George trying to make life easier for him:
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) October 11, 2026
“It’s kind of surreal a little bit, because like I said, I was I was in high school, kind of modeling my game after him and watching film with him when I was in high school and college.”
“I had to be like the first… pic.twitter.com/IG2xXLrqy8
The Tatum-George tandem will be integral to the success of the Celtics heading into the 2026-27 regular season. If both guys can stay healthy, Boston has a shot at repeating some of the surprising success it found last season.
Of course, the 2025-26 campaign had the fingerprints of former Celtics star Jaylen Brown all over it. The five-time All-Star was traded for George in July, yet he didn't suit up against his old team on Saturday night.
At this point in George's career, he is not a better player than Brown. However, the C's are just hoping for a better match with Tatum — or at least one that can come close to the fruitful rapport Tatum and Brown shared for nearly a decade.
How this experiment turns out remains to be seen, because preseason rarely provides teams with substantive data. Regardless, Tatum sounds excited to join forces with George, a player he's admired since he was rocking his signature shoes.
"I remember — I had to be like the first player in college to wear PG 1s," Tatum recalled. "If I wasn't the first, I was one of the first guys in college because that was like 2016 or early 2017. So, I've always been a fan of PG."
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Foe to friend: Jayson Tatum on why it’s nice to finally have Paul George on his side
