Saturday night’s Celtics-76ers preseason game was the first time Paul George and Jayson Tatum ever played on the same team.
Reading that, you probably think: Well, obviously.
George was traded from Philadelphia to Boston this offseason, and he and Tatum both did not suit up for the Celtics’ exhibition opener Thursday in Cleveland. They also never overlapped on any of their U.S. Olympic teams. So, this naturally was their first game together as teammates.
But it was more than that. According to both players, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla assigned George and Tatum to separate teams throughout training camp. In practice, as in their NBA careers, they’d only met as opponents.
“Today was literally our first time being on the same side,” George said after the Celtics boat-raced his former team 144-116 at TD Garden. “All camp, we’ve been competing against each other. So today was the first opportunity to kind of learn each other and get a feel for one another.”
“It was great because we’ve been teammates for a few months now, but it was my first time sharing the floor with him and being on the same team,” Tatum added. “He’s somebody that I’ve obviously admired for a very, very long time, when I was in high school and college, and competing against him, and now to be on the same team and to see some of the special things that he brings to the team.”
George sidestepped a question about why he and Tatum — the Celtics’ two most decorated players, whom most view as locks for the starting lineup — haven’t been repping together in practice. Both players spoke after Mazzulla’s postgame news conference, so the coach wasn’t asked about that arrangement.
Several team-released video clips from recent Celtics scrimmages showed Tatum in a black practice jersey and George wearing green.
“We’ve been competing,” George said. “So, yeah, this was our first opportunity playing on the same side. But all camp, we’ve been doing mini-series, and we’ve been competing against each other. So oddly enough, yeah, this was our first time on the court together.”
How did it go for the nine-time All-Star wing? Well, it wasn’t the strongest offensive showing from George, who shot 3-for-10 from the field, didn’t make his first field goal until late in the second quarter and had some lapses in timing and positioning. He acknowledged he’s “still trying to find (his) way offensively and figuring out the system,” calling that process “a challenge.”
Defensively, though, George was an immediate difference-maker. He registered five steals in his 25 minutes, matching the highest single-game total by any Celtics player in the last three seasons (Baylor Scheierman also had five steals off the bench in the win).
Boston turned George’s swipes into nine points at the other end, including a fast-break dunk the 36-year-old threw down after picking Jameer Nelson Jr.’s pocket midway through the third quarter.
“He’s a very, very good defender,” 76ers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame.
Two-way tenacity 💪 pic.twitter.com/WXDkWjo8Pp
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 11, 2026
It was an early glimpse of how George, who’s made four All-Defensive teams and consistently ranks near the top of the league in steal rate (89th percentile among wings last season, per Cleaning the Glass), could help reshape the Celtics’ defensive identity.
Though the C’s haven’t ranked outside the top four in defensive rating since 2020-21, Mazzulla’s teams have never prioritized forcing turnovers. Last season, despite touting a more aggressive approach in training camp, Boston ranked 28th in steals per game, 26th in opponent turnover rate and 25th in points scored off turnovers.
“Defensively, they take things to another level,” Mazzulla said of George and fellow new addition Mitchell Robinson, a nimble 7-footer lauded for his offensive rebounding and defensive impact. “On the offensive end, it’s just a timing thing. What we do is a very read-oriented thing. Timing is very important. I thought there was a significant difference from the first half to second half on Paul.
“That’s on us. That’s on me, Derrick (White), and JT to put him in positions and bring the offense to him and be further there, and I think it’s the same with Mitch. … But I think tonight you saw a version of how impactful they could be on the defensive end.”
Along with proving he can stay healthy after a string of injury-marred seasons with the Sixers and Los Angeles Clippers, George’s top priority is “to make the game as easy as possible” for Tatum, now the Celtics’ undisputed No. 1 option following the July trade that sent Jaylen Brown to Philly and brought George (and four future draft picks) to Boston.
“He’s going to be special,” George said. “He knows how to make plays. He knows how to get his own shot. But if my aggression takes the pressure off him, and if I can find ways to steal extra possessions defensively or get him some easy baskets, that’s what I’m on that floor to do.”
Tatum, who scored 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting Saturday before sitting out the fourth quarter, has long admired his new running mate. He modeled his game after George in high school and wore his signature “PG 1” sneakers at Duke.
“It’s kind of surreal a little bit,” Tatum said. “… I obviously watched him play for a long time. It’s cool to be a part of it.”